


The Lesser Evil

by lennoxmacduffes



Series: Pacifica's Last Wish [2]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Awkward Dates, Awkward Kissing, Awkward Sexual Situations, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Sexual Humor, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-05
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-10-28 11:17:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10830180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lennoxmacduffes/pseuds/lennoxmacduffes
Summary: Second part of Pacifica's Last Wish.Dipper has developed a crush on Pacifica and they try to see where it goes. However, Preston suspects something and he will try to find out what is going on.





	1. A Warning

**[Tuesday]**

A burgundy Cadillac with a white hood parked in front of the Northwest manor. Then, a girl with blonde hair and purple clothes stepped out of the car. She had a fluffy yellow sweater in her hands.

"Thanks for the drive, Stan." The girl said to the car.

The driver's window lowered and an old man poked his head out of the car.

"You sure gonna be alright, kid? Want me to accompany you to the manor and give your folks some excuse?"

"Nah, I'll manage. Bye!"

The gates to the manor opened wide at the arrival of the heiress, revealing a vast garden with several fountains, statues, benches and even a hedge maze. However, even though the garden was big, the manor only put it to shame in comparison, and Stan couldn't see what was behind the manor.

"No wonders she calls the Shack a hovel." Stan grumbled under his breath. "I wouldn't mind being grounded here at all."

As the Cadillac left, Pacifica walked through the gardens towards the manor. Once she reached the main door of the building, a butler opened the door and addressed her.

"Thank goodness you are all right, Miss Pacifica! Everyone was looking for you!"

"Hello, Thomas." She ignored the butler's worry. She had more important matters in mind. "Where are my parents?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Northwest are yet to return from the party." The butler informed her.

"And when will they be home?"

"I'm not certain, but they should be here by dinner."

Pacifica began tapping her chin in thoughtful consideration. She had a few hours to get everything ready. Then she stopped thinking all of a sudden, removing her hand from her chin and looking at it in bewilderment. She had never done that gesture before, but she had seen the twins doing it the two days she had been at the Shack. The heiress smiled at the gesture they had apparently rubbed off on her and then looked at the butler.

"I'll have lunch in an hour. Send Lars to my bedroom immediately. And I don't want to be disturbed in all day."

"Yes, Miss Pacifica." The butler obediently nodded.

Pacifica went upstairs and entered her bedroom. Her room was big, like everything in the manor. She had a four poster bed, a desk for doing her homework, a balcony, several dressers, a couch with a flat TV hanging on the wall in front of it, and two extra doors. One led to her small private bathroom and the other to her closet. Pacifica went through the latter. Her closet was almost as big as her bedroom. There was a row of shoe benches in the middle which she also used to sit down while dressing up. To the right, there was a row of hangers with her spring and summer clothes. To the left, the winter and autumn ones. In the far end of the room there were three wall mirrors positioned so that she could stand between them and see every angle of herself when trying out a new outfit.

However, Pacifica didn't need any of that at the moment. All she needed was a good hiding place. The heiress considered hiding the gifted sweater and the compromising picture inside an empty shoe box, but then she had a better idea. Pacifica walked up to her winter clothes and hid the sweater along with the picture in a big box where she had her designer scarfs, taking a peek to the picture first.

"If my parents ever find this I'm dead." She put on a lopsided smile and hid the picture under the scarfs.

The heiress went to her summer clothes row and took a spare short purple dress. Then she walked back into her bedroom and removed the old one and the jacket. Pacifica examined the dressing of her wound, lifting it and taking a peek. It was already cicatrized, so she removed the bandages and hid them inside her jacket's pocket. The clothes she had gone to the Shack with were clean, but also torn at some places and she was not about to wear that again. Pacifica made a ball with her old dress and jacket and next she put on her spare dress.

There was a knock on her door.

"Come in."

"Did you call me, Miss Pacifica?" The butler came in.

"Yes. Give me a second." Pacifica grabbed pen and paper and began to write. "I need you to withdraw this amount of money from my personal bank account and bring it here." She instructed the butler, handing him a note.

"But… Miss Pacifica, this is a lot of money." Lars commented.

"Not for me and definitely not for my family." Pacifica took another paper and wrote on it. "Here's a note where I give you my contentment to do this as well as my signature in case the bank puts some objections."

Lars looked warily at the heiress.

"I'm guessing Mr. and Ms. Northwest mustn't know about this."

"Exactly. If my parents find out I'm busted."

"And so I am." The butler reassured her. "I won't say anything."

"Thanks." Pacifica smiled. "Oh, I almost forgot. I also want you to buy me a video game console."

"Which one?"

"Is there more than one? Then buy the newest and most renowned one." Pacifica shrugged.

"Which games would you want games with the console?"

"The console needs games?" Pacifica realized that having a complete lack of knowledge on the topic was getting in her way. "Then buy the most renowned game of each genre."

The butler wrote it all in a small notepad.

"Is there something else?"

"Yes." She gave him the jacket and the dress. "Get rid of this outfit. It is too dusty."

"I'll get to it immediately, Miss Pacifica."

"Thank you." Pacifica said and Lars left the room, closing the door behind.

Pacifica slumped back on her bed and stared at the ceiling. A frown of worry appeared on her face.

"Am I risking too much? If my parents catch me I'll be grounded this summer and probably the next one too, but if they don't…"

Her mind drifted to the adventure she had had yesterday. The heiress could still feel a pleasant itch in her fingertips when she thought about the adrenaline rush she had experienced when they had dealt with the harpy. Pacifica had never done anything so exciting before and she couldn't wait to do something similar again.

The memories of what had happened afterwards in the shack came into her mind.

"Hmm… I should've told Lars to buy chocolate tip cookies too." She ran her tongue along her lips as her mouth watered. Then she considered the possibility of asking her parents to let her go into another sleepover, but she quickly discarded it. She knew they were probably not going to agree. Her parents were not about to lose sight of their daughter for a whole night and let alone now that they thought she had disappeared. Pacifica sighed sadly and rolled onto her side. She spotted her electric blanket resting at the foot of her bed and she couldn't help but blush, since it reminded her of how Dipper had placed his feet on top of hers to warm her up.

Thinking about Dipper reminded her that they had accorded to hang out next Friday. In Pacifica's eyes and hopes, that was strictly a date and she felt joyful at the prospect.

"Yes, it's worth the risk. Soon I'll have my own money in cash and my parents won't be able to control what I buy or where I buy it." She concluded happily at the little independence she was about to achieve.

There was another knock on the door.

"Miss Pacifica, lunch is ready."

"Bring it to my room." The heiress demanded. She was practically starving.

"I would advise against that, Miss Pacifica. You might stain the carpet."

"Then I'll buy a new carpet. I wish to have lunch in my bedroom today."

**:: ::**

* * *

**:: ::**

Stan arrived back to the Shack. He parked the car and got into the gift shop, where he saw the usual scenario. Wendy was lazily leaning on her chair behind the counter reading a magazine, Mabel was sat next to her and Dipper was at the end of the room, pacing in circles thoughtfully with a hand cupping his chin. "Ugh. Just ignore the boy and he won't ask for advice." Stan grumbled under his breath and walked up to the shelves behind Dipper to begin doing stocking of the Mr. Mystery Bobbleheads.

"Wendy" Mabel tapped the teen on the shoulder. "Dipper is acting weirder than usual."

"Huh?" The teen looked at the boy who kept walking in circles. "Nah, that looks like the usual amount of weirdness." She shrugged. "Dipper has probably found something in his Journal and he's just thinking about it."

"I don't think so." Mabel countered. "When it's Journal stuff, Dipper chews a pen or clicks it at an annoying speed."

"Maybe, I don't know." Wendy turned another page of her magazine. "You know him better, go talk to him. I'll join you in a sec."

Mabel jumped up from the stool and tried to sneak up behind Dipper, which proved to be easy since he was lost in thought. Then she yelled into his ear.

"Hey Dipper! Watcha doing!?"

Dipper yelped and jumped on the spot.

"Ah! Mabel! Don't do that!"

"Sorry, bro-bro. I couldn't resist.” Mabel giggled. “What's on your mind? You look more anxious than usual."

"Nothing. I'll solve it on my own." Dipper grumbled, slightly upset about being scared earlier.

"What? Are you actually not gonna tell me?" Mabel raised her eyebrows.

Dipper tried to glare at his sister but she put on such an innocent face that he couldn't do it.

"Fine." He looked quickly left and right to make sure no one was eavesdropping on them and beckoned Mabel closer to whisper into her ear. "Mabel, I think I like Pacifica."

Mabel looked at him quizzically.

"Yeah, I like her too. She's alright."

"No, no." Dipper shook his head and blushed. "Mabel, I _like_ Pacifica."

After a few seconds clarity dawned on the cheerful brunette and her mouth hanged open in surprise.

"Ohmygosh! I knew it! I-knew-it-I-knew-it-I-knew-it!" She yelled and bounced happily. "Although she wasn't on the potential rebound crushes list I had for you… but this is great nonetheless! You've a crush on Pacifica!"

"Shh, shh! Mabel!" Dipper hissed and tried to calm his energetic sister. "I don't want everyone to know about it!"

"Sorry, Dipper." Mabel said giggling. "But you totally surprised me! I mean, you crushed on the richest and most popular girl in town! Way to aim high, bro-bro!" She shoved him playfully.

However, Dipper's eyes widened and his face contorted in terror.

"Oh, no… I didn't think about that! Mabel, you have to help me!"

"Wait, really?" Mabel took a second to reply. "I mean… sure!"

"What? Why did you hesitate?" Dipper looked at her worriedly.

"It's just that when you were after Wendy you never listened to me. Second time you surprised me today, that's all." She gave him a lopsided smile.

"Why do you think I'm asking you for help? I don't want to make any mistakes this time."

"Well, you've come to the right person because I'm always right!" She chirped happily. "Speaking of which… if you're going after Pacifica now what happens with…" Mabel gestured with her head towards Wendy.

"I… I don't know. I think that what I felt for Wendy was mostly hormonal stuff."

"What makes you think what you feel for Pacifica is different?" Mabel inquired.

"I wouldn't be pacing in circles like a duck if I had the answer to that, sister. Can you help me?" Dipper pleaded.

"Sure. You've come to the right twin sister!" Mabel said proudly.

"Mabel, you are my only twin sister." Dipper added plainly.

"Which is what I've just said!" Mabel chuckled and Dipper rolled his eyes. "Well, back to the point: In all my _cough_ failed _cough_ summer romances I have learned a very valuable lesson." She paused for suspense, during which Dipper grew more anxious. "If you have nothing in common, the crush goes nowhere." She concluded.

"Interesting…" Dipper nodded and began to write what she had said in a notepad.

Mabel snatched it from his hands.

"Don't begin with the overcomplicated plans. Let's just talk about what you know of Pacifica."

"Oh, huh… Okay." Dipper was caught off-guard by the question. "She is blonde."

"Uh-huh."

"Aaaand she has blue eyes." He continued.

"Already knew that."

"Probably our age..." Dipper guessed.

"Probably." Mabel did a gesture telling him to elaborate.

"Over-controlling parents…" He added after a pause and then grew silent.

"Is that all?" Mabel inquired.

"Hum…"

"She's rich, kid." Grunkle Stan added.

Both Dipper and Mabel jumped in surprise. They had failed to notice that Stan was eavesdropping on them while reorganizing the shelves.

"I was trying to avoid saying that one, Grunkle Stan." Dipper groaned. "It is sounds too shallow."

"Oh, so you begin with 'blonde' and 'blue-eyed' but rich sounds too shallow?" Stan mocked.

"I don't care about her money." Dipper snapped a little angry.

"You should. If you are gonna be an UFO fanatic like my brother, prepare to get a hungry." Stan shrugged.

"Getting back to the point." Mabel stepped in before Dipper made a remark about Stan's business knowledge. "That's almost nothing, Dipper."

"True." Stan added. "Have you seen how many zeros does her bank account have? That's important because maybe they're just pretending and—Ouch!" Grunkle Stan backed off when Mabel kicked him in the shin. "Alright, alright, I'm leaving. Jeez." Stan complained as he left to the living room.

"It's not a bad start." Mabel reassured Dipper to calm him. "But it's not enough. What we need is personal stuff you might have in common."

"But I don't know anything about her! Yesterday was the longest I've ever talked to Pacifica in like… ever." Dipper sighed.

"Well, what did you learned about her yesterday?" Mabel inquired.

"Pacifica huh… Mabel you've to promise you won't tell anyone about this." Dipper asked his sister seriously.

"Scouts honor!"

"Pacifica has trouble with her parents. Real trouble." Dipper began to explain. "They're always on top of her so that she does everything they want, therefore Pacifica urges to have some time away from them. And worst of all, she doesn't have any friends. Real friends I mean, who aren't interested in her money or fame."

"Good, good." Mabel said and Dipper looked at her in disbelief. "Oh! I meant you! You're doing good. Pacifica's situation is terrible!"

"She is smart, not as smart as I am but smart still." He clarified smugly. "She dislikes tennis and… she has cold feet in bed." Dipper said the latter with a blush.

Mabel ignored his brother's blush for now and decided to tease him later.

"See? Now we are onto something. She's smart, you're smart. She doesn't have many friends, you don't have many friends." Mabel listed with her fingers and Dipper glared at her. "What? I'm saying it the way it is. We have to see this from an objective point of view." Mabel excused herself. "But we definitely made some progress here. Now all you've to do is deepening the matter. You have to spend more time with Pacifica! Learn the important things! Favorite meal, favorite movie, favorite color for gifting her underwear…" Mabel eyed her brother curiously, waiting for his reaction.

"Huh…" Dipper blushed crimson red. "I think I've already made a little progress in one of those areas."

"Haha! Dipper has seen Pacifica's underwear!" She laughed mockingly and poked his nose. "So she showed you or did you…"

"Mabel!" He slapped her hand away. "It was accidental and I don't wanna talk about it!"

"Yeah, sure. 'Accidental'." Mabel burst into laughter and Dipper's cheeks turned even redder.

All the laughter finally caught Wendy's attention. The teen put down the magazine and approached the twins.

"What's up, dudes?"

"I'm giving Dipper relationship advice so that he doesn't mess up with Pacifica!" Mabel chirped happily.

Dipper groaned and facepalmed.

"I told you not to tell anyone! Especially not Wendy!" His eyes widened and realized that he had talked too much, so he quickly turned to Wendy. "It's... it's not about you, I mean…"

"Relax, dude. It's okay. I know what you meant." Wendy calmed him "So, you and the Northwest girl?" Dipper nodded. "Want my advice? Don't mutter so loudly. Better yet, don't mutter at all."

"Yeah!" Mabel added. "And don't make those stupid overly complicated listy things!"

"You are a cool guy." Wendy patted him on the cap. "She will fall for you. Just make yourself known, try to get her to notice you."

"Thanks." Dipper smiled broadly. "But how do I do that? Pacifica is probably the richest girl in all Oregon! I can't give her anything she doesn't already have." He sighed.

"Pffft. That's an easy one, doofus." Mabel rolled her eyes. "Pacifica is into adventure."

"You think so?" Dipper cupped his chin thoughtfully. "She suggested we hanged out in town so I thought…"

"Of course she did! Pacifica is too proud to admit she wants to go into another adventure. Just ask her!" Mabel cheered.

Dipper raised his eyebrow and looked at Wendy for confirmation.

"Yeah, dude. Yesterday she seemed pretty excited about that adventure you two had."

"This is all so needlessly complicated it might actually work." Dipper sighed heavily. "And I'll never understand girls."

"I know, right?" Wendy agreed with a nod.

"Don't worry, bro-bro! You can count on me for that part!"

**:: ::**

* * *

**:: ::**

Once Pacifica had dealt with her lunch she lay on her bed. The heiress quickly appreciated the clear difference between her own bed and Dipper's. Hers was way better and between that and her full stomach, she quickly fell asleep. Sometime later, a knock on her door woke her up.

"Miss Pacifica?" A butler's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Mhm… Yeah?" She replied very drowsily.

"Mr. Northwests requests your presence in the living room now."

Pacifica's eyes shot open and realized that her parents were back. And worst of all, the butler had only mentioned her father, which meant that her mother wasn't going to be present. In other words, he was going to reprimand her.

"I'll be there in a minute." She sighed and made sure that her dress and her hair were right.

Pacifica walked through the corridors of the manor. The building had several 'living rooms', but the butler didn't have to specify. She knew perfectly well which one was. Pacifica called it her father's thinking room because he spent lots of time there sitting in an armchair with glass in his hand. The room had lots of animal heads hanging from the walls that she guessed they somehow relaxed her father and helped him think.

Pacifica entered the living room. The fireplace was the only source of light and the flames were weak, leaving the room mildly dark. Not dark enough to accidentally bump into something but dark enough to prevent someone from reading a book. Preston, contrary to what Pacifica had been expecting, was standing in front of the fireplace instead of sitting in his armchair. The heiress did as usual in these situations and sat on the couch in front of the armchair, waiting to receive the typical talk about how important money, looks and wining were.

"Pacifica, why didn't you go to tennis yesterday?" Preston asked without turning around.

"I wasn't on the mood of playing tennis." The heiress replied impassively.

Preston turned around.

"But you were for going to that hovel in the woods. You even stayed for the night." He frowned.

"I thought it would be a good idea to thank the Pines." She lied, choosing every word very careful. Pacifica knew what was at stake. "After all, it was thanks to them that the party was a success in the social media."

"Thanks to them?" Preston's eyes widened in disbelief. "That boy released the ghost on us after capturing it! If anyone can take the credit for the party's success that's you and only you! You lowered the lever, not he."

"Dipper told me the ghost tricked him. Besides, I wouldn't have pulled the lever if not for him." Pacifica quickly regretted finishing her sentence like that.

Preston sighed heavily and knew perfectly well what his daughter was thinking.

"That boy isn't a proper influence for you, Pacifica. You are high class. A princess in the high class to be more accurate, with all the benefits it includes. You have butlers, money, a good social status…" He listed with his fingers. "Why would you want to be seen among… them? You already have everything!"

Pacifica was shocked for a second at how shallow her father could be, but she quickly recomposed herself and decided to play it his way. With eloquence.

"You said I have all the benefits of a princess." She said and Preston nodded. "Well, what characterizes a princess is that she can do whatever she wishes, so if I want to go see the Pines I'll do so." She concluded firmly.

The Northwest patriarch smiled proudly at how his daughter was handling the conversation, but he was not about to lose so easily.

"I can understand you wanted to thank them, but why staying for the night? That Shack is practically falling to pieces."

The heiress paused for a second to think her next answer.

"I… kinda enjoyed hanging out with the twins and they offered me to stay for the night so I did." Then she smirked. "It would've been a breach of etiquette and even rude for I, the high class, to deny them, the low class, when they offer me the little they have, wouldn't it?"

Even though Preston was glad that the apple didn't fall far from the tree and how his daughter was trying to manipulate him eloquently, he had had enough of the conversation already.

"Fine, you did well, Pacifica. However, now that you've thanked them, I don't see any reason for you to see them again." He concluded with a shrug.

"B-but I—" Pacifica's eyes widened.

"That was the end of the conversation. You can go back to your room now." He cut her before she had a chance to talk.

"No." Pacifica didn't move from the couch. "Give me a reason for not seeing them again! A good reason! They're my friends! Why can't I see my friends?"

Preston calmly sat in the armchair in front of her.

"There will come a day in the future when you'll own most of this town, and that's not an easy job. There will be people who will try to deceive you, so you must be smarter, colder and more calculating that every single one of them." He explained. "Those kids are a distraction you can't afford. Right now you have to focus on your studies and your training, therefore you have to forget about them. It would be choosing the lesser evil, because it'll be worth in the long run."

Pacifica looked at her father in disbelief. Then, she realized that the conversation had been pointless since the start and all she felt was anger.

"Then I'm not a princess! I'm a prisoner! I… I hate you!" She yelled and stormed off the room.

"And that, dear, is my lesser evil." He sighed heavily and slumped back on the armchair.

**:: ::**

* * *

**:: ::**

Pacifica slammed her bedroom door and jumped on her bed, burying her face into the mattress and screaming in it.

"I can't believe this!" She yelled and hit the mattress with the base of her fists in tries to vent her anger. ' _I know I am not unlucky, I am rich after all. But that doesn't mean I am happy.'_ She thought. _'They say money doesn't bring happiness. What an irony. The moment I feel genuinely happy for the first time in an eternity and money takes it away from me.'_ A mixture of anger and despair gripped her chest. Pacifica gritted her teeth because she knew what came next, and she was not going to cry. A Northwest never cries.

She really needed to talk to someone to get the situation out of her head, but she wasn't allowed to see the Pines again.

"Maybe I could call Tiffany and Aubrey…" Pacifica pondered for a second but quickly discarded the idea. The two girls had called her a liar and no longer wanted to have anything to do with her after the incident with her phone and the Lilliputtians. In addition, Pacifica couldn't compare them to the Pines. Those two girl's main topics for talking were how to ridicule people, and she was way over that. She was tired of that.

After a few minutes, Pacifica finally calmed herself and got up from her bed in a sulky mood. She had spent the whole afternoon sleeping and she didn't feel like going to sleep despite the fact of how late in the night apparently was. The heiress then noticed for the first time two big sports bags that were lying beside her bed. She didn't remember seeing them earlier when she had left to talk to her father.

"What are these?" She wondered and opened the closest one. There was a video console inside along with a few games. Pacifica considered trying out the video console, but she had no idea how to wire it up to the TV and she didn't feel like finding out now. The heiress opened the second bag and found several wads of twenty dollar bills. Pacifica immediately glanced over her shoulder as if expecting someone behind her accusing her of stealing that money, although it was technically hers. Then, she began fishing out wads and wads from the bag and distributing them throughout her room. A few between her clothes in the closet, others under her mattress, some inside her pillow… until she ran out of money. Happy with the result, she memorized every place in her room that had some money hidden inside.

"Well, now I've my own money!" Pacifica perked up. "And maybe… if things get worse… I… I could run away with it…" She sighed heavily, since she didn't want to do that. The heiress pushed those thoughts away for now.

Pacifica had nothing left to do now, so she hid the bag with the video console under her bed and took off her clothes, putting on her silk nightgown for sleeping. She wasn't tired at all, but she lost nothing in trying to get a little shut eye. Sometime later, there was a sound in her balcony. Pacifica raised an eyebrow and looked at the glass just in time to see a small stone pebble hitting it.

"No way." Her face lit up and rushed to the balcony to have a look outside.


	2. Full Moon

**[Tuesday - night]**

Dipper was sat in the armchair alone in the Shack. Stan and Mabel had gone to watch 'Pony Heist 3: The Sequel' at the theater. Mabel had insisted on Dipper coming with them but the boy wasn't very fond of the series after seeing the first two movies. Grunkle Stan took Mabel to the midnight season which was the easier to sneak in without paying. The old stingy man was not about to pay for watching a movie.

Dipper had decided to stay and search in his relatively new Journal a new adventure he could take Pacifica into. He was determined to follow Mabel's advice and he needed to find something interesting by Friday.

He began reading aloud the pages that caught his attention.

"A flower that giggles when you cut it. Hmm… This one is even creepier than the flower that weeps when you cut it. I've seen enough in the plants section." He turned a few pages and reached the geology section. "The oil stone. A stone with the proprieties of floating on the water like oil. Well… that's kinda cool but it's science-cool. I need adventure-cool." Dipper flipped another few pages of the Journal and reached the bestiary section. He picked a page at random and read it aloud. "The Lunafright. This elusive creature can only be seen on nights with full moon. I myself have only found footprints of it, by which I think it belongs to the draconids family." Dipper scratched his chin while thinking about it. "Something not even Great Uncle Ford managed to find…" He jumped up from the armchair and took a peek at the sky through the window. "And tonight it's full moon! I would've said this was destiny if I didn't believe in it!" He laughed jubilantly. "The Lunafright it is then, and it has to be tonight. And… dang it, I'm talking alone again."

**:: ::**

* * *

**:: ::**

Stan and Mabel were at the theatre entrance looking at the movie schedules.

"Three hours!?" Stan yelled in disbelief. "There's no way I'm staying in a room watching ponies blowing up for three hours!"

"But Grunkle Staaaaaan!" Mabel whined. "This is the final part of the trilogy! If everything goes alright, they'll remove the curse that makes them explode and live happily ever after!"

"Jeez, it's not only boring but also poorly written." Stan muttered while having a look at the rest of the movies that aired at the same time. "Alright kid, this is what we'll do: We sneak inside, you go watch your pony movie and I watch a different one."

Mabel had a quick look at the schedule and raised an eyebrow at her Grunkle.

"The only movie airing at the same time is 'The Duchess Approves Again'. Are you really gonna watch that?"

"That's none of your business, kid. Take it or we leave home." Stan concluded sternly.

"Fine, let's sneak in." Mabel giggled and put on a fake moustache, causing Stan to roll his eyes. "But first, admit that you like that movie!"

"I won't admit anything with or without my lawyer!"

"Blink if you like that movie!" Mabel fixed her eyes on Stan who was trying his best not to blink. "Haha! You blinked!"

"That was cheating!" Stan complained and then realized that his niece had just tricked him. "Oh, Mabel I'm so proud of you!"

**:: ::**

* * *

**:: ::**

Dipper reached Pacifica's neighborhood relatively quickly thanks to the golf cart. However, he hid it in the roadside before arriving to the manor, since he intended to give Pacifica a surprise this Friday with the cart. Dipper was certain she would find interesting the fact that he could drive at the age of twelve. In addition, if his theory about the Lunafright was correct, the place where they could see it would be close to the manor. Now the only thing standing before Dipper and Pacifica was the manor fence, and it was a quite tall fence. Dipper had already deemed that her parents wouldn't simply let him in the manor on a regular day, let alone now that it was almost midnight, so he began walking along the fence trying to find a solution.

In the meantime, Dipper opened his bag to have a look at what he had brought for the adventure.

"Let's see… An electric lantern, some snacks, a camera and a can of brown meat. Yup, here's everything."

Distracted with the contents of his bag, Dipper failed to see where he was going and bumped into a tree. The boy grunted and rubbed his forehead, but then noticed the tree. It was a big old tree and one of the branches went over the fence.

Without thinking it twice, Dipper dropped the bag and climbed up to the branch. Then, walking very carefully and keeping his balance, he dropped himself on top of the fence. Now Dipper had another problem: He couldn't simply jump inside the garden without injuring himself. Dipper sighed and walked on top of the tall fence until he reached a hedge maze. Measuring the height with his sight, Dipper dropped himself on top of the hedge and then clumsily to the ground, falling face first on a bush.

"Oh, man." He rubbed his cheeks and removed a few twigs from his hair. "I hope the way out is easier." Dipper had a quick look around to orient himself inside the fence and then he noticed a half opened service door that led outside the fence. He groaned loudly and facepalmed.

Dipper warily walked up to the manor. Most the lights were already off, so he guessed Pacifica would be sleeping although he didn't know which one her room was. However, guessing how show off her family was, Dipper went for the rooms with balconies. There was one on each wing of the manor, so Dipper went for the closer one. He grabbed a few pebbles and threw them to the window. Then, a woman opened the window to have a look outside.

The boy gasped loudly when he realized that wasn't Pacifica but her mother and he jumped into a bush to hide himself. Priscilla had a look at the garden and then shrugged, coming back inside. Dipper sighed in relief and guessed that if it wasn't that balcony it had to be the other. He walked to the other wing of the manor and repeated the process, this time hiding himself in a bush beforehand just in case.

Instead of poking her head out like her mother did, Pacifica burst into the balcony with a hopeful smile, her eyes searching throughout the garden. Dipper knew he should probably get out of the bush and catch her attention, but at the moment he couldn't move. Pacifica was wearing a purple nightgown which clang to her body and gave her a most entrancing sight. Dipper had always considered her a beautiful girl, but since she was now his crush he saw her even more beautiful.

Pacifica failed to see anyone in the garden and sighed sadly, going back into her bedroom.

"Stupid woodpeckers making noises."

Dipper shook his head to snap his mind out of its daydreaming and jumped out of the bush.

"Wait! Pacifica!"

Pacifica turned on the spot and ran to the stone railing.

"Dipper! You're here!" She chirped happily and then cleared her throat, recomposing herself. "I mean… What are you doing here so late in the night?"

"I huh…" He fought a terrible battle with his eyes which were trying to find out if he could see anything through the thin silk of the purple nightgown. "So… I was in the neighborhood on one of my mystery hunts that can only be done during full moon and I thought…"

"…That it would be a good idea to sneak into my house?" Pacifica finished his sentence and smiled playfully at him.

"Well, if you put it that way it sounds bad but…"

"It’s okay, Dipper." She giggled. "I'll be down there in a sec, don't move!" Pacifica ran again into her room.

Dipper waited for her for a few minutes, wondering how Pacifica would receive her.

"Maybe she'll kiss me again? Or… perhaps a hug? I'll be happy with a hug if a kiss is asking too much." He displayed a silly absent face while Pacifica came out of a window of the ground floor.

Dipper saw her wearing her trademark short dress and jacket and he ran his fingers through his hair to brush away any twigs that might remain there. He had never paid special attention to his physical appearance, but he was determined to change that now. Once Pacifica was in front of him, Dipper smiled nervously and wondered if she would do both the kiss and the hug.

"Here." Pacifica said and gave him a silver dollar coin, much to Dipper's disappointment.

The boy held the coin in his hand with a bewildered look. "Huh… you don't have to pay me for anything."

"I know." Pacifica raised an eyebrow. "That's silver, for the monster. I've mine here." She showed him an identical coin.

"Oh! I thought you wanted to pay me to pretend I didn't see you in that nightgown." Dipper shrugged and then his eyes bulged out, realizing what he had just said.

"What's wrong with my nightgown?" Pacifica narrowed her eyes and glared at him.

"Nothing!" He blurted out and raised his hands defensively. "It was very revealing—BEAUTIFUL!"

Pacifica snickered at Dipper's nervousness.

"Admit it, Dork. You couldn't wait until Friday to see me again, huh?"

"Maybe…" Dipper blushed and cleared his throat. "But we're still going to town this Friday, aren’t we?"

"Of course." She turned serious. "We have to be discreet though. My father doesn't want me to see you. He doesn't like you."

"I guess that makes us even because I don't like him either." He shrugged.

Pacifica smiled and inwardly she sighed heavily in relief. The heiress knew very few people, or rather no one who would dare stand up to her father. She had feared for a second that Dipper would be scared off by the subtle threat, but he had just shrugged instead.

"How did you get in here by the way?"

"Oh, you know. A man has his methods." Dipper said proudly and puffed out his chest.

"Those _'manly methods'_ involve staining your clothes with tree sap?" She giggled and pointed to his clothes.

"Hum…"

"You climbed up that tree near the fence, didn't you?" She asked and Dipper nodded. "You got lucky. Tomorrow they're chopping off that tree."

"Sounds like tonight is my lucky night then. First it's full moon and now that tree." Dipper smiled broadly at the prospect.

"I hope that luck of yours helps us get out of the manor, because I don't think anyone is up at this hour to open the gate."

"Don't worry, Pacifica. I already told you: A man has his methods." He reassured proudly.

"Whatever, but I'm not staining my dress in tree sap."

Sometime later the two preteens had already left the manor using the half opened service door and Dipper had his bag back. They were walking deep into the forest and Dipper had the lantern lit to illuminate the way.

"I can't believe the servants forgot the door open." Pacifica grumbled. "Do you know how dangerous is that? The peacocks might have escaped or worse: someone could've got in to steal something."

"C'mon, Pacifica. Don't be silly." Dipper waved his hand dismissively. "The peacocks are domesticated and, like Waddles, they won't leave their home. And regarding thieves, really? Who's gonna climb the hill where the manor is and try sneaking in a house with twenty butlers?"

"You did." Pacifica countered matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, but I had a good reason."

"What good reason? You said you just were in the neighborhood." Pacifica eyed him curiously but Dipper averted her gaze and remained silent. She then guessed his answer accurately. "Thanks." The heiress muttered.

There was an awkward silence after that. Pacifica kept her eyes on the path ahead and Dipper glanced at her now and then. The yellow light from the lantern was making her blonde hair shine and her eyes sparkle in a most entrancing way, causing Dipper to constantly switch the hand he was carrying the candle with to dry the sweat off on his shorts in vain tries to hide his nervousness.

"Causal banter, Dipper." He muttered to himself. "Causal banter and avoid touching any delicate topic." Dipper inhaled deeply and turned to Pacifica. "So… what did your father say when he found out you stayed at the Shack for the night?" He asked and facepalmed inwardly.

"He gave me the usual talk about how important my future is and why I can't waste any second playing with the lower class and blah, blah, blah." She replied in a tired voice.

"Your father has always been such a stuck up?"

"Well…" She stopped walking for a second. "No, when I was younger he was like I guess any father is. He bought me whatever I wanted and let me I do whatever I felt like doing. But… then I grew up he changed."

"So… I take you don't mind walking with me through this dark dangerous forest in the middle of the night." Dipper said and gaped at himself, deciding that he would do better keeping his mouth shut.

"It definitely beats lying on my bed doing nothing." She replied with a smile, thinking Dipper had been joking. "What are we going after this time?"

Dipper smiled realizing that Mabel and Wendy had been right. She liked the adventure.

"The Lunafright. It's a creature that can only be seen during full moon and even then it's so elusive that my Great Uncle never managed to see it." He explained.

Pacifica already knew that when Dipper said 'Great Uncle' he referred to Ford and when he said 'Grunkle' he referred to Stan.

"Oh! So if you manage to spot it you'll beat the Author in the paranormal stuff?"

"That's the plan." Dipper smiled and showed her the camera. "However, the Lunafright belongs to the draconids family which means it's immune to silver." He gave her back the silver coin.

"Keep it, I've more at home. What's a draconid?" She asked curiously.

"How to describe it…" Dipper taped his chin thoughtfully. "Every draconid is different but they're all big and with scales. Some have teeth, others a beak instead. Most of them use some kind of toxin though."

"Okay Dipper, next time say big lizard that spits toxic stuff and I'll get it." Pacifica chuckled.

"They're actually half-bird half-reptile and—"

"Whatever." She interrupted him. "How do you plan to get a picture of it? If that Lunathingy is so elusive, the moment it sees us with that lantern it'll stay out of sight." She pointed at Dipper's electric lantern.

"Don't worry. We'll wait with the lantern off in a spot I'm pretty sure the Lunafright will visit tonight." He said mysteriously.

"Is it the lake?" Pacifica asked plainly.

"No, it's the—Wait, yes! How did you know?" Dipper looked at her in astonishment.

"Well duh, if that thing only comes out of hiding only once a month with the full moon it's surely gonna be thirsty." She shrugged.

"Wow, Pacifica. I'm impressed." He praised.

"Thanks." The heiress beamed, knowing that a praise from Dipper regarding detective work meant a lot.

A few minutes later they reached the lake shore. Dipper was looking for a suitable rock with the lantern, Pacifica following him close behind. The heiress had already suggested a few but Dipper had declined them all.

"How about this one?" Pacifica stood on a rock at the forest edge below a few trees.

"No, that one won't work."

"Dipper, it's a rock.” Pacifica rolled her eyes. “They're all the same."

Dipper shook his head and walked up to a rock in the middle of the shore, partially covered in water. The boy sucked his finger and raised it to feel the direction of the wind.

"Yes, this one is perfect."

"Really? What does your rock have that mine doesn't?" Pacifica put her fists on her hips, thinking Dipper was just messing with her.

Dipper opened the can of brown meat and poured it on the rock.

"Well, my rock is closer to the water and a little far from the trees, so that—"

"So that the scent of the food spreads throughout the lake and when the Lunathingy comes it doesn't see us hiding in the trees." Pacifica caught on and finished the statement for him.

"Exactly." Dipper smiled broadly at her. "You're very good at this. Wanna come with me to every monster hunt? I could use a sidekick."

"Sure, but at this rate you'll be the sidekick." She teased. "C'mon, let's hide." Pacifica ran behind a tree.

"Wait, we can't hide there." He walked up to the tree she was hiding behind.

"Why not?"

"What if the Lunafright comes from inside the forest? It'd caught us from behind. We'll climb to the tree so that the creature doesn't see us." Dipper concluded and skillfully climbed to a strong branch of the tree.

"Ugh. Fine." Pacifica gave in and rolled her eyes, knowing that she would probably have to dispose of that dress too when they were done. However, staining her dress in tree sap was the least of her problems now. "Help me up." She mumbled in embarrassment.

"What?" Dipper asked, unsure of what he had heard.

"Help me up! I've never climbed a tree before." She said louder.

"Oh! Sure, let me just…" Dipper took a good grasp of the trunk and extended one hand.

Pacifica doubtfully placed one foot on the trunk and then she took Dipper's hand to help her balance.

"Your hand is sweaty!" She complained but didn't let go of it. Dipper pulled at the same time she jumped and used the trunk to climb.

The result was that Dipper pulled with such strength that he fell backwards on the branch with Pacifica on top of him. Dipper's eyes bulged out at the sudden amount of physical contact and Pacifica blushed crimson red as they quickly parted and sat relatively far from each other on the tree branch. Dipper quickly crossed his legs so that no one realized _how much_ he had liked that accident and Pacifica cleared her throat, looking at everything except Dipper.

"I don't wanna climb any higher." Pacifica muttered in embarrassment.

"Y-yeah. I'd say this branch is high enough." He agreed, turning off the electric lantern. Dipper felt his chest where Pacifica's hands had landed burning and his cheeks followed soon afterwards. He realized he was probably blushing and he quickly opened his bag in tries to distract himself and make the blush subside. Dipper fished out the snack bag and glanced at Pacifica. "Hey, you want some?"

"What are these?" She asked before putting her hand inside the bag.

"Cheese balls."

Pacifica took a few in her hand and began eating them one by one. "Mhm, not bad."

Both preteens quickly dealt with the snack bag and stayed silent for a while. Then Pacifica broke the silence.

"The sky is so clear tonight and the moon so big. You can see a lot of stars." She whispered dreamily.

Dipper saw that as a good opportunity to pursue what he had talked with Mabel earlier. He needed to know her better on a personal level before trying anything.

"So… you like stars?" He asked clumsily.

"Yeah." She nodded, her eyes still glued on the sky.

"And… what about constellations? You know any?"

"No, show me." Pacifica looked at him with sparkling eyes of excitement.

"Alright." He snuggled closer. "You see that line of bright stars? The one making sort of a V and then a small circle? That's Pisces."

Pacifica narrowed her eyes and tried to spot what he was referring to.

"Now I see it! It's like a fishing jumping out of the water!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Yup." He smiled. "Now, you see those three stars forming a line? That's Orion's belt, and with those other stars it forms Orion."

"Hmm…" Pacifica tilted her head to the side to change her perspective. "I see the belt, but I don't see Orion anywhere."

Dipper snuggled a little bit closer and pointed at the sky.

"The belt is that, the pentagon above is the trunk and the head, and those two stars below are the legs."

Pacifica turned to stare at him suspiciously.

"You're making these up, aren't you? That doesn't look like a man at all."

"I'm not." He chuckled. "I agree they don’t look like their names at all, though. Let's see… There. You see that one? That's the Big Dipper."

"The one that looks like a wheelbarrow?" She asked.

"It's supposed to be a bear but now that you mention it…" Dipper tilted his head and looked in amusement at the sky.

"See?” Pacifica snickered and snuggled closer, her leg brushing his. “Turns out I know more about constellations than you do."

Dipper giggled too. He glanced at Pacifica up and down and sighed.

“You know, I…” He fiddled with the brim of his cap. “I have a Big Dipper too. Wanna see it?”

Pacifica’s smile faded and her eyes darted between Dipper’s face and shorts.

“I hum…” Her cheeks blushed pink. “Well, I’m flattered and all that but… I don’t think it’s a good idea.” 

"Why not? It's just a birthmark." Dipper obliviously lifted the bangs on his forehead.

"Birthmark?" Pacifica was puzzled until she saw the marks on Dipper's forehead. "Oh! The wheelbarrow constellation!"

"The Big Dipper constellation." He corrected. "That's where I got my nickname from. What did you think I was referring to?"

"I huh… n-nothing!" Pacifica quickly blurted out.

"Nothing?" Dipper raised an eyebrow. "No offense Pacifica, but your face is beet red."

The heiress averted his hazel gaze. "I thought your big Dipper was…" She made a vague gesture towards Dipper's lower body.

Dipper looked at himself and, when realization struck him, he began to laugh heartily. He had feared that Pacifica would grimace or maybe laugh at the distinctive mark, but she had ended up accidentally making a dirty joke about it instead. On the other hand, Pacifica realized she had got off the misinterpretation and began laughing with him, but in relief.

Once both preteens calmed, Pacifica shivered and Dipper noticed it.

"Are you cold?" He asked worriedly.

"Of course not." She snapped proudly but began rubbing her arms discreetly to heat them up.

Dipper reached a logical conclusion: If Pacifica got cold inside his bed at the Shack, she was definitely getting cold out there in the wilderness. The boy snuggled closer and threw one arm over her shoulders.

"Better?"

"Yeah, thanks." The heiress muttered and began feeling way warmer, although the warm wasn't coming from Dipper's arm but from her own chest. Pacifica felt completely joyful all of a sudden and she sighed happily, letting her head rest on Dipper's shoulder as they stared at the moon's reflection on the lake.

Dipper's heart sped up dramatically and he realized that their adventure had turned into a date and, much to his surprise, it was going great. Dipper couldn't believe how all the events of the night had turned out in his favor. He had always been a man of science and math, but he had to admit that destiny perhaps had had something to do with his current situation.

He turned his head to Pacifica and she, feeling his movement, faced him too. There was a blonde lock of hair across her face preventing the sight from being perfect, so Dipper extended his hand and pushed it away, brushing her cheek with the back of his hand and then cupping it. There was a faint scent of lilacs coming from her hair which intoxicated him pleasantly. The stars were sparkling on her deep blue eyes, making them look even more beautiful than usual. Dipper stared into her eyes for one more second and then closed his, instinctively tilting his head to the side and leaning closer. There was only one thing on the boy's head at the moment: Mabel was wrong. Dipper didn't need to know Pacifica any better to know his feelings.

As Dipper leaned closer, Pacifica closed her eyes too and smiled, waiting to be kissed. The heiress couldn't have dreamed of a better romantic first kiss scenario and her heart was pounding hard on her chest in consequence. Pacifica had always loved reading fairy tales stories about princesses and knights who saved them from their towers. However, she was among the few people who knew the truth behind those stories. It was the princesses' parents who placed them in those towers, hence the knight always saved the princess from her parents, not from the tower and, in her eyes, Dipper was her knight in shining armor and she was madly in love with him. The heiress could already feel his warm breath on her lips and she eagerly awaited her first kiss.

A twig snapped below them on the ground and Dipper quickly jerked his head towards it, parting the embrace.

"It's here!" He whispered excitedly and picked up the camera.

Pacifica sighed sadly and stroked the sweaty cheek where Dipper had had his hand a few seconds ago.

"Stupid Lunathingy." She grumbled.

The heiress was very mad at the turn of events. She couldn't believe how much of a dork Dipper was, who had just wasted a first kiss experience because of whatever was crawling below them towards the lake. And worst of all, the little gossiping about the kissing subject Pacifica knew came to her mind. She had heard once that if a couple parted from a first kiss before achieving it, they had twenty four hours to repeat it otherwise they would end up as friends forever. Pacifica didn't believe in girly gossip, but she didn't believe in harpies and draconids either and there she was.

They could see a silhouette close to the stump and Dipper grinned. However, Pacifica snatched the camera out of his hands.

"You want your picture of your stupid Lunathingy? Then you'll have your picture." She grumbled and jumped off the branch.

"Pacifica, wait!" He hissed. "Draconids are also natural predators! Come back here!"

Pacifica was still upset and ignored Dipper. She approached the stump to take the picture. The Lunafright was sniffing the brown meat and recoiling in disgust. Then it calmly began drinking water from the lake. Pacifica aimed the camera and took a photo. The flash shot and revealed the creature. It was a pale reptile-like creature, somewhat fat and big, with the apparent remains of what one day had probably been wings but now they were only two stumps protruding on its back. Pacifica realized then where the name came from and her rage turned into fear. Draconid came for dragon, and she suddenly felt frozen with fear when the big reptile turned towards her, hissing menacingly and waving its tail in the air to look bigger.

The heiress forgot what they had talked about the silver and threw the coin at the creature's head, but it just bounced on its scales. The Lunafright took the gesture as a threat and showed its teeth to Pacifica, fluttering it's neck crest menacingly like a peacock's tail. The heiress suddenly realized that all the teeth were rounded. They were herbivore teeth. She found some relief in knowing she wasn't going to be part of the creature's diet, but that didn't mean she was out of danger. Pacifica raised her hands in a calming gesture and took a step backwards. The Lunafright misunderstood the gesture and interpreted Pacifica was getting ready to pounce, so it quickly sprayed a clear liquid from its mouth. Pacifica was struck right in the face and she fell backwards.

"Hey! Hey!" Just that moment Dipper came running, waving the lit lantern in the air to get the Lunafright's attention. The nocturnal creature's eyes were not used to so much light and it winced, recoiling and finally turning to hide into the forest.

Dipper sighed in relief and reached Pacifica, but his relief didn't last long. She was lying on the ground with her eyes wide open, but she wasn't moving. She wasn't even blinking.

"Oh, no. The toxin!" He quickly raised her motionless body in his arms and placed two fingers in her neck, trying to find her pulse. "No, no, no, no... Please be okay, please, please, please..." The boy realized he was too distressed to feel anything, so he brought her face to his ear. After a few seconds Dipper felt her breathing softly. He sighed again in relief and stared into her eyes. "Pacifica, if this is a joke please stop. It's not funny at all." But she still didn't move. Dipper closed her eyes with his fingers and became anxious. "I need help but Stan and Mabel are in the theater and the Shack is empty... No, it's not."

Dipper turned around and pulled Pacifica's arms over his shoulders, raising her from the ground and carrying her on his back. He felt his legs burning at the effort and the added weight, but his adrenaline took care of that. Dipper made sure she wasn't going to fall and then he broke into a race to the golf cart.


	3. A little help from the Author

Dipper almost crashed the golf cart on the Mystery Shack's wall. He carried Pacifica inside the building and laid her onto the blue couch of Ford's room. Then he collapsed onto the ground for a second, his exhausted muscles screaming at the effort. Dipper stood up and rushed to the vending machine. He knew he wasn't allowed down there, but he needed help at the moment.

Ford was calmly stroking a glass sphere with a brush covered with a purple sticky substance. Once he was done, he examined the dimensional rift for any cracks. The alien glue seemed to have worked well. Just that moment, the lift* door opened and Dipper burst into the basement yelling.

"Great Uncle Ford! Great Uncle Ford!"

The great uncle was startled by the sudden sound and the rift almost fell from his hands. He quickly opened a drawer and hid it in there before Dipper had the chance of seeing it. Then, he discreetly examined the boy's pupils just to be sure.

"Dipper, I've told you not to come down here. It might be dangerous." He said sternly and crossed his arms over his chest.

"But I need your help! We were in the woods and Pacifica got hurt! She's not moving! Do you have a... health potion or something to help her?" He babbled, completely distressed.

"Slow down." Ford raised his hands to calm him. "Who is this Pacifica you're talking about?"

"There's no time for introductions! She's not moving!" Dipper yelled in complete distress.

"Alright." Ford discreetly locked the drawer were he had hid the dimensional rift. "Take me to her."

**:: ::**

* * *

**:: ::**

Pacifica was lying on the blue sofa in Ford's room. She was breathing calmly, as if she were just peacefully sleeping. Ford opened her eyelids and examined her eyes for any response with a pen light. Then, he grabbed her wrist and checked her pulse. He had no idea why the girl didn't wake up, since she was completely fine physically. Ford eyed Dipper through the corner of his eye and saw how the boy was so nervous that his anxiousness could be almost palpable.

"What's her name?" He tried to calm him with some small talk.

"Pacifica Northwest." Dipper replied without taking his eyes off the heiress.

"Northwest? As in daughter of Preston Northwest?" Ford asked in surprise and Dipper nodded. "I met her Grandfather and Preston when he was just a kid. They were very interested in having a scientist with a potential such as mine in Gravity Falls, and gave me a little terrain where I could build this Shack." Ford gestured around himself and Dipper listened with interest. The great uncle smiled inwardly, since the boy no longer seemed so distressed. "However, when they learned the paranormal nature of my investigations, they no longer wanted to know a thing about me. Paranormal investigations don't make money since people don't believe you, and all they cared was money and renown."

"She's different, Great Uncle Ford." Dipper reassured.

"I'm certain she is." Ford smiled at the boy. "Speaking of which, is she your...?"

"She's a friend." He quickly replied and blushed. "No. Actually, she is... something more."

Ford nodded. _'Kids sure start early nowadays. When I was his age girls were the last of my worries.'_ He fished out his Journal #1 from his coat and began flipping pages. "She seems to be in some kind of sleep state or perhaps paralysis, hopefully temporal. Perhaps we could wake her up with a very strong smell or... Well, if it's that, this is going to be a little awkward." He cleared his throat and rubbed his neck.

"What? What is it?"

"A few cases of paranormal paralysis can only be lifted with a kiss." Ford commented and Dipper blushed.

"You can't be serious." Dipper's eyes widened. "A kiss like in... Snow White fairy tale?"

"Yes, there's a grain of truth in all those fairy tales." He explained. "If this paralysis was caused by a curse, then what would probably work is a kiss. I'm a little too old for that so if you don't—"

"B-but she wasn't cursed!" Dipper babbled and his face turned crimson red. "Pacifica was attacked by the Lunafright!"

Ford looked surprised for a second and then he narrowed his eyes.

"How do you know of the Lunafright?"

"I hum… I sort of like going mystery hunting with your Journals." Dipper smiled nervously and fished out the Journal #2 from his vest pocket.

"You like going mystery hunting?" Ford repeated with genuine surprise as he stared at the boy in appreciation. He quickly cleared his throat and took the Journal from Dipper's hands with a serious face. "Stanley gave you this? He shouldn't have. This is dangerous."

"Don't blame Grunkle Stan." Dipper quickly added, fearful of increasing the present rift between the two old twins. "I would've gone monster hunting with or without the Journal and he knew it. He just thought I would be safer with it."

"That's precisely the problem. I have nothing against you using my Journals for your adventures, but this one is incomplete. Let me just…" Ford took a pen and Dipper raised an eyebrow. "I never had the chance to complete the Lunafright page before hiding my Journals. And… that's it. Here you go." He gave the Journal back to the boy. "You were lucky this time."

"Really? Pacifica is going to be okay?"

"Of course she is." Ford waved his hand dismissively. "The reason behind why there's only one Lunafright left is that his species is practically inoffensive but their hide is white as chalk. People used to hunt them for their hide and the creatures grew wary of coming out in the sunlight. They even developed some sort of paralyzant fluid they spit on you, but once you're paralyzed they just run away. They're herbivores after all." The Author explained proudly of his knowledge. "However, they usually run away when they see someone instead of spitting right away. You must've made this one very mad. What did you do to it?"

"Hmm…" Dipper tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Pacifica took a photo of it with flash and then she threw a silver coin to its face."

"No wonders it spitted on her." Ford chuckled. "The Lunafright is immune to silver, but it's a nocturnal creature. The flash must've hurt its eyes and probably its hide too. Your friend should be okay in… around half an hour or so."

"So… she's not asleep? Just paralyzed?" Dipper's asked as his eyes began to widen.

"Yes. In fact she can hear everything we say. She just can't move a muscle." He turned to Pacifica. "Sorry for speaking badly of your father. I didn't know you could hear us."

Dipper's jaw was hanging open. The boy had just realized he had sort of admitted his feelings for her earlier and she had heard it all. And worst of all, Dipper couldn't tell about her reaction because she was paralyzed.

"Are you sure about all this? I mean, in your Journal you said you never found the Lunafright!"

"I did, but that was after I hid that Journal." Ford explained. "There's also a side effect to being spraying by a Lunafright. Your friend has now access to a magical wish."

"A magical wish? Is that even possible?" Dipper asked in complete amazement at the wide range of abilities.

"Well… yes and no. It's not an 'I wish to be rich' kind of wish, not that she needs any money." Ford chuckled and Dipper cleared his throat, pointing with his head towards Pacifica. "Oh, sorry dear. I keep thinking you're asleep instead of paralyzed. I'm certain when we get to know each other better my opinion about you and your family changes greatly."

"So… about the wish…?"

"Yes. Pay attention because this is important. The wish is obliged by the bounds of reason. If you wish something like ending the poverty in the world, it won't work. You need to wish for something that can happen by chance and luck, like 'I wish to find the car keys' or something like that." Ford scratched his chin and wondered where the keys to his old car were, or if Stanley had kept it. "The wish never expires, but in order to make it you have to say 'I wish…' and your wish. Did you get it?" He asked towards Pacifica, but the heiress didn't move. "Right, I forgot she can't move. Did you get it at least, Dipper?"

"Yeah." Dipper nodded. "Great Uncle Ford, what was your wish?" He asked after a moment's silence.

"My wish? It was to find Stanly so that he could keep my first Journal." Ford sighed. "That was a lifetime ago anyways. I'll get you two something to eat while her paralysis wears off."

"Thanks." He said as Ford left the room.

Dipper sat next to Pacifica and stared at her. She looked as if she were peacefully asleep. Dipper wasn't sure of how to take the events that had taken place that night. First, he had attempted to kiss the heiress, only to almost lose her next. Dipper scratched his cheek and wondered if he might be going a little too fast, and whether Mabel was right or not. The boy shook his head and decided to go on with his sister's advice. He would not take another step forwards until he knew her better.

Pacifica twitched in the sofa all of a sudden and then she sat up, scratching the tip of her nose rather aggressively.

"How are you feeling?" Dipper asked worriedly.

"Ugh. You can't believe how annoying is to have an itch on your nose and not being able to scratch it for an hour." Pacifica joked and sneezed.

Dipper chuckled and gave her a tissue.

"Did you… hear everything we talked about?"

Pacifica didn't reply immediately. She had definitely heard what Dipper and Ford had talked about. The heiress couldn't blame the Author for disliking her parents, since there weren't many people who liked them anyways. She was also a little mad at Dipper. The boy not only had ruined their first kiss experience, but he had just admitted his feelings without giving her the chance to reciprocate. However, Pacifica also felt very lucky, because she could fix the last part with a very small lie.

"Nah, being unable to move is very boring and I fell asleep when you left me on the couch." She shrugged and smiled when Dipper sighed in complete relief. "Thanks for carrying me, by the way. You're stronger than you look." She teased by squeezing Dipper's upper arm in search of muscle.

Dipper puffed out his chest proudly.

"Well, it's not a big deal. You actually weight less than I expected."

Both preteens stared at each other for a few seconds and then they burst into giggles. Then, Dipper stopped all of a sudden and realized he liked the sound of Pacifica laughed. The boy began nervously rubbing his hand and wondering if it would be okay to grab her hand. He quickly shook his head and pushed those thoughts away.

"So, what happened while I was out?"

"Hmm… To sum it all up, being sprayed by the Lunafright left you paralyzed for some time. However, now you have a magical wish! You can ask for whatever you want, within the bounds of reason." Dipper explained and looked at her expectantly, but Pacifica said nothing. "So... What are you going to wish for?"

Pacifica tapped her chin while she feigned considering his question.

"I'm not gonna tell you." She smirked.

"Why not? It's not like a birthday cake wish. This one should come true even if you tell somebody." Dipper countered, curious about her wish.

"Telling you would spoil the fun, Dipper. I wanna see your face when you see it." Pacifica replied with a playful smile.

"Alright." He shrugged. "Hopefully it won't be anything like _'I wish for Dipper to trip on his own feet on the way out'_." Dipper teased.

"Oh, dang it." Pacifica feigned surprise and rolled her eyes. "Now I've to think about a different one. Thanks, Dork."

Dipper giggled and they finally calmed after the long night, slumping back completely on the blue couch. Ford got back from the kitchen with two glasses of milk and jelly sandwiches on a dish.

"Hello, I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Ford." Ford talked to Pacifica, handling Dipper the dishes.

The heiress' eyes widened. If she hadn't known beforehand, she would've sworn she was looking at Stan in a nerdy outfit.

"You're the Author of the Journals, Dipper's Great Uncle!" She jumped up from the couch and shook his hand. "I'm Pacifica Northwest."

Ford was a little startled at how direct the girl was. He still wasn't sure whether kids had changed these days or not, considering he had been out for thirty years. He cleared his throat and spoke.

"You're very well educated, Pacifica. Did my nephew tell you about me?"

Pacifica smirked and winked at Dipper over her shoulder. She put on her best interested face and turned back to Ford.

"Of course! Dipper is always talking about how intelligent you are and how proud he is that you're his Great Uncle. He's always carrying that Journal, saying how useful it is and how he hopes to become an expert paranormal investigator like you!" The heiress glanced again at Dipper. He was blushing crimson red and fiddling with his fingers.

On the other hand, Ford puffed out his chest and beamed at all the flattery.

"Well, it's definitely better that Dipper takes after me rather than the conman of my brother. I've twelve PhDs after all. Anyways, I'm certain Dipper has talent of his own. Finding a Lunafright is no easy task." He nodded. "Speaking of which, do you have any doubts regarding your wish?"

"Nah, Dipper filled me in with the details." Pacifica waved her hand dismissively and then she noticed the clock hanging from the wall. "Oh my gosh, it's two past midnight! I've to go back home right now!"

"Don't worry, I'll drive you there." Ford calmed the girl. "Come to the front yard once you're done with the sandwiches."

Once Ford left, Pacifica sat back on the couch next to Dipper. The boy was still blushing and looking at the heiress curiously.

"Why did you do that?" He asked.

"You said your Great Uncle didn't pay attention to you. Now he thinks highly of you." Pacifica shrugged, taking a bite of the jelly sandwich. "Mm. Peach jelly."

Dipper stared at the heiress with gratitude. Pacifica might have just solved one his biggest summer issues by just saying a small praise. The boy couldn't help but smile at how she eagerly devoured her jelly sandwich and licked her lips after every bite. He considered cupping her cheeks and kissing her right there, but he thought she deserved a better scenario. Dipper decided that he would have to wait for another chance.

"Thanks." Dipper murmured and rubbed his arm nervously.

"No problem. You helped me with my parents in the Annual Fest and I helped you tonight. Now we're even."

**:: ::**

* * *

**:: ::**

Dipper and Pacifica were sat in the backseat of the golf cart while Ford drove towards the manor. The warm milk and finally the relief of seeing that Pacifica was out of danger were quickly having an effect on the boy. Dipper was nodding off again and again, realizing how tired he was. His head fell a few times forwards and then to the side, colliding with Pacifica's.

"Ow." Pacifica rubbed her head. "Dipper, are you dozing on me?"

"Yeah, I huh…" He chuckled nervously. "I'm not used to carry girls on my back through the forest."

"You wouldn't have these noodle arms if you did that more often." She smirked and poked his upper arm.

"Well, we could do that again if you feel like it." He suggested playfully.

Pacifica's cheeks blushed pink and she waved a hand dismissively.

"Nah, once was more than enough."

Dipper leaned back on the seat and yawned. He was completely exhausted and the only thing in his mind was going to sleep. On the other hand, Pacifica sighed sadly. Seeing how the night was developing, her hopes for a kiss were very small. The heiress wondered if the whole girly gossip about being friendzoned if a first kiss was interrupted were true. She considered kissing Dipper now instead of waiting for him to take the first step, but she would like for him to kiss her first. Pacifica wanted it to be romantic and special, it was her first kiss after all. The heiress pondered both alternatives and decided to risk it, considering that if all the girly gossip were true, it wouldn't be that bad to have Dipper as a friend at least.

"We are here." Ford stopped the golf cart.

"Thanks for the ride." Pacifica jumped up from the cart and walked towards the fence.

"You want us to accompany you to the door?" Dipper suggested.

Pacifica thought about it for a second, but Dipper had said _us_ instead of _me_.

"It's alright, you can go." She reassured.

Pacifica entered the manor by the service door. She noted mentally to get keys of that door, since it was proving to be very useful to sneak in and out of the manor. The heiress walked through the manor and got in the house through the same window she had left hours earlier. She was so tired when she jumped into her bed that she failed to notice her shoes had dragged dirt into the manor and she had completely forgotten to remove her dress.


	4. A Question of Price

**[Wednesday]**

Preston was as usual in his pajamas going to the kitchen where the servants were preparing breakfast. However, halfway through the hall he saw something odd, something that shouldn’t be there.

There was a trail of dirt on the carpet. By following the trail of dirt, he saw that one of the windows was wide open and someone had dragged dirt into the manor. Preston’s eyes widened and the first thing that came into his mind was that someone had robbed the manor during the night. He quickly scanned the room for any valuables that were missing. However, everything was on their place. The vases worth several thousand dollars were there, the unique paintings, the ancient muskets, everything. Preston wondered what would the thief had stolen then, considering that all the valuables in the room were worth a lot of money and easy to carry. Preston gasped and turned on his heels.

There was only one thing in the manor that was way more valuable than any of those trinkets, and she was supposed to be upstairs.

The Northwest patriarch hurried upstairs and got into Pacifica’s room. He sighed in relief when he found her peacefully asleep on her bed, but then he frowned when he realized that she was wearing her trademark outfit instead of her sleepwear, and that her shoes were soiled. Preston pinched the bridge of his nose and grumbled. He closed the door went downstairs to have breakfast.

Preston had already decided that he would have to fix everything today.

**:: ::**

* * *

**:: ::**

The sunlight coming through the windows didn’t stop shining on Pacifica’s face. She frowned and rolled onto her other side, wondering why she didn’t draw the curtains yesterday night. Pacifica sat up on her bed and rubbed her eyes while yawning. Then, all the memories of the previous night came to her mind and a smile crept onto her face.

“Dipper almost kissed me yesterday!” She giggled and then quickly covered her mouth in case someone heard her. Pacifica would’ve never expected a month ago to act so girly about a boy, let alone about Dipper Pines, but she was in love and love is often very dumb.

Pacifica jumped up from her bed and ran into her bathroom. Her dress was dirty from the previous night adventure, and full of creases from sleeping with it. The heiress shrugged and decided to simply toss it into the trash can. She had plenty of those dresses after all. Meanwhile she was having a quick shower in her private bathroom to get all the dirt off her long blonde hair, Pacifica pondered what to do today. She really wanted to go to the Shack today too, but her father couldn’t know about it. She considered lying to him and saying she was going to Tiffany’s house, but he might call her just to be sure. Pacifica shook her head a reached a very different conclusion.

The heiress got out of her bathroom in her purple bathrobe and went into her closet. She came out dressed in a purple tracksuit and purple trainers. Pacifica had a quick look outside her balcony. It was around noon and everything was practically burning outside under the summer heat. Without thinking it twice, she applied some sunscreen to her face and arms. Her complexion was too delicate to be under that sun without any protection. She had a final look at herself in the mirror and groomed her eyebrows and bangs. Pacifica was adamant to have the kiss she had missed yesterday, and that meant she had to be flawless.

Once she was done having breakfast, Pacifica took two energetic bars in her pockets and headed outside the manor. However, she bumped into her father on the way out of the building. He was carrying the newspaper.

"Are you going somewhere, Pacifica?" Preston unfolded the newspaper and sat in an armchair.

“Yes, I hum…” The heiress facepalmed inwardly. Her father always picked up the newspaper at the same hour and she should know better than trying to sneak out at the same time. “I was gonna do some jogging now that we have this fantastic weather.” She shrugged impassively.

Preston raised an eyebrow and stared at her for so long that Pacifica thought he wasn’t going to agree. However, he simply hid himself behind the newspaper again.

“Alright, have fun. And be here by lunch time.”

Pacifica inwardly pumped her fist as her mind yelled a jubilant ‘Yes!’. She quickly hurried her way out of the manor before her father changed her mind. Once she was gone, Preston beckoned a butler closer.

“Send a limousine to the Mystery Shack and tell the driver this.” He gave the butler a paper. “Take the long way there and come back through the same road.”

The Northwest patriarch gestured the butler to leave and then he frowned. Pacifica had never lied to him before, but she had just done it without hesitation, and he had read it in her face like an open book.

“If I can’t reason with her, I’d reason with the boy.”

**:: ::**

* * *

**:: ::**

Pacifica had always enjoyed jogging. She often went early in the morning when the sun wasn’t yet too high in the sky to burn her sensitive complexion. What she loved the most was the feeling of freedom running through the forest gave her. Out there, she didn’t have to worry about whether her parents approved what she was doing or about damaging her social status, or about anything in general. It was her hour of privacy and, since she did it every second day, her parents had no reason to be suspicious at all. The heiress began to run a little faster. She had to be back at home by lunch, and that meant the sooner she got to the Shack the better.

Meanwhile she was running, Pacifica distracted her mind with the most trivial of topics. First, she thought what color she would paint her house when she moved out of the manor. The heiress had no intention at all to live in such a huge building when she was older. She would be happy with a two story house in town. The idea of wishing that came into her mind, and that led her to idea of wishing that Dipper kissed her today instead. Pacifica continued running thoughtfully as she considered the latter idea. After some pondering, she discarded it and decided it wouldn’t be fair. She wanted her first kiss to be natural, so she kept the wish as a fail-safe.

“Hey, Pacifica!” A voice came from behind her. It was that redhead lumberjack riding a bike. The heiress searched her mind for a few seconds until she remembered her name.

“Hi, Wendy.” Pacifica replied without slowing her pace, considering the teen wouldn’t have much trouble keeping up with her on the bike.

“Nice outfit.” Wendy smiled mockingly and adjusted her bike speed to Pacifica’s pace. “You look like a modern mob boss with that tracksuit. Where are you going like that?”

Pacifica raised an eyebrow and glared at the teen.

“This is a designer’s tracksuit. And I’m going to the Shack.” She replied as spitefully as she could.

“Alright, alright. You don’t have to bite me.” Wendy raised her hands defensively, riding the bike only with her feet. “If it’s any consolation, what I’m wearing now are boy’s clothes. My dad buys only boy’s clothes.” She rolled her eyes.

Pacifica had a look at Wendy’s green flannel shirt. She had no idea what the teen was talking about, since her outfit was pretty much unisex. Then, she realized for the first time that the buttons were on the right side.

“Your father can’t difference boy and girl shirts or—“

“Oh, he definitely can.” Wendy waved her hand dismissively. “He just says that buying girl clothes isn’t _‘manly’_ and he won’t do that.”

The heiress stifled her laugher terribly and ended up laughing to the point she had to stop and lean on a tree.

“S-sorry.” Pacifica quickly apologized. “Your father sounds fun.”

“Relax, dude. I told you about it so that you laughed.” Wendy reassured. “Mabel called this morning saying Dipper and you had heck of an adventure last night. Wanna share the details?”

Pacifica’s eyes widened and her jaw fell open. If Mabel knew about last night, it was because Dipper had told her and Pacifica had a feeling that Mabel had probably squeezed all the details out of Dipper by either teasing or some other method.

“N-nothing happened.” She quickly replied and blushed.

"Right." Wendy raised an eyebrow at the preteen and she didn’t insist anymore.

Pacifica stood silent for a few seconds while she fiddled with the drawcords of her tracksuit pants. The heiress had so many doubts and nobody to share them with that she ended up gulping and asking in a small voice.

“Wendy, have you ever… kissed a boy before?”

"So _that_ happened." Wendy chuckled.

“No, but…” Pacifica blushed. “I would’ve liked that it happened.”

The heiress sighed and leaned her back against the tree. She fished out the two energetic bars and handled one to Wendy. Pacifica was still unsure of how that whole ‘sharing’ thing worked, but by the redhead’s smile she guessed she had done right. Wendy gave a bite to the bar and listened.

“So…” Pacifica began. “we were waiting last night for this Lunathingy monster to make an appearance to get a picture of it and Dipper… almost kissed me.” She whispered the last part.

“Wait. How do you ‘almost kiss’ someone exactly?” Wendy asked in amusement.

“Dipper got distracted by a noise in the last second and moved his head away.” Pacifica clarified and frowned, upset about the outcome of that night.

“He’s such a dork.” Wendy laughed heartily.

It took Pacifica a few seconds, but she smiled warmly and nodded.

“It was Dipper who tried to kiss you and not the other way around, wasn’t it?” Wendy asked.

“Yeah.”

“I don’t see what you are worrying about then. Dipper will probably try again.” Wendy shrugged. “And if you can’t wait, you could always be who delivers the kiss.”

“But it has to be he who kisses me.” Pacifica murmured. “I want it to be special and romantic, with a full moon, stars and we have to be alone and—“

“Whoa, stop right there, dude.” Wendy raised her palms to get the heiress’ attention. “You’re making up some high expectations for just a kiss. Trust me, I’ve been there and that always leads to disappointment.”

“It’s my first kiss.” Pacifica confessed in a whisper as her cheeks blushed.

“Wanna know how my first kiss was?” Wendy raised an eyebrow and Pacifica nodded. “I was playing spin the bottle with a few friends and I kissed a boy. Just like that.”

Pacifica looked at the redhead in disappointment.

“Later in the logging camp,” Wendy continued. “there was this guy I liked and we kissed behind the cabins. There was also a guy in the school playground—“

“That’s more than one kiss.” Pacifica interrupted, completely puzzled.

“I know.” Wendy leaned on the handlebars of her bike. “There’s no such thing as a ‘single first kiss’. Boys come and go and you’ll end up kissing for the first time many different people in your life. Now, if you want your first kiss ever to be special, that’s your thing and I won’t get there. I’m just giving you some perspective.” The laid-back teen shrugged again.

Pacifica tapped her chin thoughtfully and glanced at the redhead. Wendy raised an eyebrow at her and Pacifica sighed.

“I guess it doesn’t have to be a perfect scenario… but I’d like something romantic still.” The heiress gave her a lopsided smile.

“Fair enough.” The teen straightened up on the bike and patted the backside of it. “Hop up, I’ll ride you to the Shack.”

“I can jog the rest of the way, you know?” Pacifica declined smugly.

“We’ll get there faster this way.” Wendy countered and waggled her eyebrows.

“Ugh, fine. But if I fall off I’ll sue you.” The heiress reluctantly stood on the rear wheel cassettes and placed her hands on Wendy’s shoulders to keep her balance.

A few seconds after Wendy began rolling towards the Shack, she made a wheelie and Pacifica yelped in fright. Wendy glanced mockingly at her over her shoulder and Pacifica glared at her, which made Wendy chuckle. Pacifica grumbled at first, but then she couldn’t help but smile. The heiress realized she had just made a new friend.

**:: ::**

* * *

**:: ::**

"You did what?!" Mabel exclaimed in both surprise and awe.

"I tried to… kiss Pacifica last night?" Dipper repeated slowly.

"Hah! Oh, bro-bro! Kissing the girl before the first date has even started. You’re such a womanizer!" Mabel teased and giggled.

“So… did I do the right thing? I mean, I still barely know her and you told me—“

“I told you to know Pacifica better because I didn’t want you to end up with a broken heart again.” Mabel interrupted him. “Now, tell me, tell me! How does Pacifica kiss? Does she tilt the head to the side? Does she do tongue-play?” The chirpy brunette asked excitedly.

“Hum… I don’t know.” Dipper rubbed his arm and blushed.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I sort of got… distracted right before landing the kiss.” He finished in a small voice.

“Oh my gosh.” Mabel facepalmed soundly. “So let me get this straight: You had the perfect romantic scenario with full moon, stars and everything and you got distracted in the last second?”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much what happened.” Dipper nodded and earned a groan from his sister. “Hey, the Lunafright was a completely undocumented creature and now there’s a picture of it in the Journal where—“

“My dating tests were so right.” Mabel muttered shaking her head. “Dipper, you really need to learn when it’s the time for romance and when it’s the time for mysteries.”

“You think Pacifica is mad at me?” Dipper asked worriedly.

“I don’t know. Giving her a gift wouldn’t hurt, though.” The cheerful brunette tapped her chin thoughtfully.

“What could I gift to the richest girl of Oregon she doesn’t have already?” Dipper sighed, disheartened.

“That’s easy, be original. Make something for her!” Mabel chirped happily. “Like a sweater! Or macaroni art!”

“I can’t knit and the macaroni would make me look like a five year old.” He countered. “But you gave me an idea… Yeah, I think there’s something I can do.”

Grunkle Stan’s voice came from the gift door and startled the twins.

“Dipper! Your girlfriend is here!”

“So much for keeping it a secret.” He commented and Mabel giggled.

Dipper walked to the backdoor with Mabel and found a limousine parked in the yard. When the driver spotted them, he addressed him.

“Dipper Pines?” The driver asked and Dipper nodded. “Miss Pacifica is waiting for you at the manor.” The driver concluded as he opened the backseat door.

"Uuuh! Fancy car!" Mabel exclaimed from behind him. "When you come back I wanna now all the details. Now go, don’t keep her waiting!" She shoved him.

Dipper stumbled forwards and sent a glare to his sister over his shoulder. He glanced suspiciously at the driver and got into the car. He felt something was off about this.

Once the car drove off, Mabel fished out her phone and texted Wendy about all the new gossiping material she had learned. Then, she took her knitting needles and sat on the couch in the porch to knit a new sweater as she happily hummed a song. The cheerful brunette had in mind a purple design Dipper could gift to Pacifica. Approximately an hour later, the sweater was almost ready and Mabel caught the sight of a biker coming to the Shack.

“Wendy!” Mabel chirped happily. She saw Pacifica too when Wendy got closer and parked her bike. “Whoa, Paz-Paz! You look like—“

“—Like a mob boss, yeah. I’ve been told already.” The heiress rolled her eyes. “Where’s Dipper?” She glanced around, trying to find the reason she had come to the Shack.

“I thought he was with you.” Mabel tilted her head to the side in confusion. “He got into a limo and left half an hour ago.”

“A limousine? But I can’t send limousines, only my father—“ Pacifica’s eyes bulged out in shock. “Wendy, you have to take me to the manor in your bike!”  

“What? Why?” Wendy asked, completely puzzled.

“My father knows!” Pacifica exclaimed in complete distress. “I have to get to the manor now!”

“I’ll drive you there in the golf cart.” Mabel quickly intervened and went for the keys.

**:: ::**

* * *

**:: ::**

A butler led Dipper to a hall and asked him to sit on a couch. Dipper was completely certain now about the feeling of something off he got earlier in the limousine. Pacifica was nowhere to be seen.

“Greetings.” A voice said from the door.

Dipper turned around and saw how Preston Northwest entered the room and sat in the armchair right in front of him. He was, as usual, in a three piece suit and holding an apple cider glass in his hand.

“Do you know why you are here?” He asked with an impassive face.

“You brought me here passing off as Pacifica.” Dipper fixed his eyes on Preston’s, unwilling to break the eye contact. He didn’t like that man at all.

“You are smart, but that is how I got you here, not why you are here.” Preston leaned back in the armchair. “I have a proposal for you.”

“I’m not interested.” Dipper shook his head.

“You did not even listen to what I have to offer.” Mr. Northwest narrowed his eyes and glared at the boy.

“Let me guess, since I’m smart.” Dipper raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to offer me something in exchange of not seeing Pacifica again?”

“That is a very simple way of putting it, but it is not all. I am also going to explain you my perspective.”

“I’m still not interested.” Dipper attempted to stand up.

“Do. Not. Stand up, boy.” Preston boomed. Dipper remained sat up in the couch. “You are putting my daughter against me. At least have the decency of listening to what I have to say and then you can leave.”

Dipper smiled and nodded. In the dialectic battle that was taking place, Preston had been the first to lose his temper, and that meant a point in Dipper’s favor.

“You are not from Gravity Falls.” Preston started. “I presume you don’t know the role the Northwest name has always had in this town.”

“You mean cheating and lying to everyone to increase your social position?” Dipper interrupted him.

“The Northwest family goes back to the funding days of Gravity Falls.” He ignored the comment and drummed his fingers on the armrest. “Ever since Nathaniel was made the founder due to a political issue you are apparently aware of, we have sought to keep a position of respect within the city. We made use of our increasing fortune to build most the public buildings, sawmills, roads and even one of our mudflap factories to give the townsfolk jobs. This city has our name on every corner.” Preston smiled proudly. “Thanks to our influence, dedication and money, Gravity Falls is what it is today, instead of another ghost town.”

“Funny you mention all that, since certain ghost told me otherwise.” Dipper shrugged. “He said your family tricked the townsfolk into building this manor and then you didn’t fulfill your promise of inviting them to the parties. That sounds like cheating and lying to increase your social position and, you know what? I think I’ll take the word of a ghost who has nothing to lose over yours.” He smiled smugly.

“You shouldn’t.” Preston played with the glass in his hand. “The Corduroy ghost told you nothing but half-truths and lies. We, the Northwests, are the core of Gravity Falls. Do you think that keeping a town afloat is as easy as snapping your fingers? Of course not. It requires many contracts from external companies and we needed a proper building to take care of that. Back then, that was usually done in a manor instead of in an office or through the internet like it’s done nowadays. Thanks to those parties this town got communication systems, pipe system, electricity, sewers…” Preston listed with his fingers until he ran out of them. “So what if the townsfolk weren’t invited to the parties where the future of their town was decided? We needed to look convincing so that the representatives of the companies that would provide Gravity Falls of those services signed the contracts. We couldn’t just make them rub elbows with the townsfolk.”

“You’re just saying the end justifies the means.” Dipper raised both eyebrows and stared at him scornfully. “What if someone offered you now to build a highway through the Gravity Falls forest? Would you chop down half the forest and kick all the lumberjacks to increase the tourism and communication of the town and your own income?” He asked bitterly.

“No, boy. What I’m saying is that sometimes one has to choose the lesser evil. That’s why I brought you here.” Preston leaned forward for the first time. “For reasons I fail to understand, my Pacifica has her eyes on you. I, however, don’t like you one bit.”

“I don’t like you either.” Dipper grumbled and then sighed. That had been a mistake. He didn’t want to make things worse. He shook his head and tried not to fall in Preston’s game again. “But if you think I’m a bad influence for Pacifica, you’re downright wrong there.”

“It is not a matter of influences. Pacifica simply can’t afford a distraction such as yourself at the moment. She has to focus on her studies. Pacifica will have time for boys or friends later when she’s older. Aside from that, yes, I think you’re a bad influence.” Preston glared at the boy. “You’re disrespectful, you talk back and you stick your nose into other people’s business. Pacifica shouldn’t have learned about the old paintings or the town founder hoax.”

“It’s better to let her believe a lie for the rest of her life then?” Dipper asked sarcastically.

“I would have told her. In time.” He leaned back into the armchair and glanced at the paintings in the room. “What our ancestors did or didn’t do shouldn’t be her burden.”

There was a moment of silence between them during which Dipper wondered whether the talk was over or not. Preston then sighed and began talking again.

“As you have probably noticed, Pacifica is my only child and I don’t think I will have anymore.” He stared thoughtfully at his apple cider glass and inhaled deeply. “There will come a day when she will inherit most of this town and people will try to take advantage of her just because of her fortune and her gender. Pacifica needs to be smarter, more cunning and more ruthless than any of those people if she wants to succeed in the life that awaits her.”

“Or she could just be normal.” Dipper interrupted him. “She could even hire a CEO for your company and that way she would do whatever she wanted in life.” He stared at Preston, but the Northwest Patriarch shook his head as if Dipper were talking nonsense. “Have you asked her opinion on this? Do you know what Pacifica wants to be when she grows up?”

“She’s obviously going to follow in my footsteps and—“

“Has she told you that?” Dipper interrupted him again and Preston was left with a hanging open mouth. “I don’t think so. I don’t think you have even bothered to know what your own daughter wants to be in the future.” Dipper smirked. “But I’m sure you know better. You’re her father after all.”

Preston tightened his grip on the glass.

“Pacifica has told me enough to see where the problem is.” Mr. Northwest growled. “She has lied to me twice this week and both times it was about you. I don’t recall her ever lying to me before.” He rubbed the glass with his thumb. “Pacifica is somehow fascinated by you. So fascinated she’s willing to lie and disobey her own parents. You still think you are a good influence for her?”

“I didn’t tell her to do anything.” Dipper excused himself. “She can make her own decisions.”

“Yes, she can. That is why I’m talking to you.” Preston leaned back and toyed with the glass. “You see, we the higher class divide people into two categories: Those we order around and those we buy.” Preston gestured with his hands to aid his explanation. “Everybody eventually falls into these two categories, because everybody can be bought. In the end, it’s just a question of price, don’t you agree?” He smiled at the boy.

Dipper was about to disagree when Preston continued talking.

“Look at yourself for example.” Mr. Northwest looked thoughtful for a second and then he continued. “You came to the annual feast reluctantly. My daughter had to give you three tickets to the Northwest Annual Fest so that got rid of our ghost problem.”

“The tickets were for my sister.” Dipper grumbled.

“Yes, and that proves my point: You were either bought by my daughter, or ordered by your sister to be bought by my daughter.” Preston smirked.

Dipper opened his mouth and was about to lose his temper when an idea crossed his mind. He smirked and leaned back in the couch.

“How would I know? I am simply a lower class kid.” Dipper feigned to ponder. “I’m curious, though. Have you heard of Pavlov’s experiment?”

Preston raised an eyebrow.

“What happens,” Dipper continued. “when a high class orders another high class around? Nothing, right? It’s just, as you said, a question of price after all. The thing is that instead of paying with money, you paid with your own dignity by treating your daughter like a trained dog with a bell.” Dipper finished as bitterly as he could.

Preston was clearly scowling now at the boy, tightening the grip on the apple cider glass so much his knuckles were white.

“Let me tell you,” Dipper added. “I can’t contain my pride to be sitting in front of you, someone of such high class, Mr. Northwest.”

There was a cracking noise. The glass Preston was holding had cracked and broken under his tight grip. Mr. Northwest did a gesture and a butler quickly cleaned the apple cider mess.

“It’s interesting that you mention the family. My proposal is exactly about that.” Preston interlaced his fingers and stared at the boy. “But first, I’ll present you a choice: Either you accept what I will offer and stop seeing my daughter, or you will be forced to stop seeing her. Note that I didn’t say ‘I can buy you’ to avoid offending again your… lower class pride.” He smirked.

“I’m afraid I can’t see the difference in that choice.” Dipper said sarcastically. “The ending is always the same.”

“The difference is that you can get something out of this. You see, one of the perks of being in the high class is that you’re powerful enough to find out some things.” Preston explained. “I have heard that there is _certain_ family in Piedmont who is going through some economic issues.”

Dipper’s face paled.

“I have also heard,” Preston continued. “that the parents had to send the kids with their _shady_ great uncle for the summer because they couldn’t afford taking them on a summer vacation.”

Dipper lowered his gaze and grasped the fabric of his shorts tightly in his hands.

“My proposal goes as follows.” Preston was grinning by now. “You stop seeing my daughter, and I will give your father a job in one of my industries. He works with computers, I’m sure there won’t be a problem locating him in a company near Piedmont. If you however refuse to take my offer, you will neither see my daughter again nor get anything in return.” He leaned back victoriously in the armchair.

Dipper didn’t say anything.

“Consider accepting my offer.” Preston added. “You will leave when the summer is over and won’t see Pacifica again anyway. Accepting my offer would be choosing the lesser evil.”

Dipper raised an eyebrow and pondered. _‘The lesser evil, the lesser evil. Why am I hearing those words again?’_

“What makes you think that Pacifica will agree to stop seeing me?” Dipper asked.

“I will get in the way. I am a very powerful and influential person.” Preston shrugged and relaxed. “There is simply nothing you can do. Nothing is more powerful than money and influences.”

“Fate.” Dipper murmured after a long silence.

“What did you just say?”

“Nothing.” Dipper shook his head and smiled. “No deal, Mr. Northwest. Thanks for the chat.” He stood up and left the room.

Preston was completely dumbfounded. He had been certain to convince the boy by bringing up the matter of his parents. Preston sighed tiredly and accompanied the boy to the gate.

**:: ::**

* * *

**:: ::**

Dipper crossed the gardens and left the manor through the gate. Just that very moment, he saw Pacifica and Mabel parking the golf cart. Pacifica had her anxiety written all over her face, her eyes widened as saucers and her jaw trembling.

When Pacifica saw him, however, she smiled. Pacifica had come to the manor fearing the worst. She knew how cold and calculating her father was, and if he had dared facing Dipper that was because he was certain he would convince the boy. Dipper, however, hadn’t come out of the manor disheartened, shameful or sad. He only looked thoughtful. The heiress knew then that her father had failed to convince Dipper to accept whatever he had offered him. She ran to the boy and hugged him.

The hug took Dipper completely by surprise.

‘What if I’m wrong? What if fate doesn’t exist, and I should have chosen the lesser evil?’ Dipper pondered for a second. He was confused, angry and a little hopeless after his conversation with her father. Pacifica tightened the hug and snapped Dipper out of his train of thought. _‘No… Lesser or greater, evil is evil. I won’t choose it.’_ He concluded and hugged her back. Her clothes were silky and her hair smelled of lilacs. Dipper sighed happily and hugged her back. He felt good now. ‘Just in case this is the last chance I have to hug her…’ Dipper thought as he tightened the hug and pecked her cheek.

Pacifica felt her ears burning and her cheeks flushing red. She saw her father staring at them in horror from the fence gate. The heiress parted the hug reflexively and stared at Dipper sadly.

“Your dad doesn’t seem to like me very much.” Dipper gave her an apologetic smile.

“Pacifica!” Preston shouted from the manor entrance. “Get in the manor this very instant!”

“I-I’m sorry.” Pacifica quickly whispered to Dipper with a sad smile. “Give him some time. Pick me up this Friday as planned.”

Dipper nodded. He watched her as she got into the manor, and his heart ached. He was wondering whether that would be the last time he would see her. He shook his head when the gate closed, got into the golf car and sighed heavily.

Mabel smiled kindly towards her brother.

“So… how was it?” She nudged his shoulder and joked. “Did he put you in his dungeon and scared you with torture stuff, like these swinging blades that lower with time?”

“It’s a manor, not a castle. They don’t have dungeons” Dipper chuckled. “But I worried for a second that he was going to lock me up in his cellar.”

Mabel giggled. She launched the golf cart engine and began driving towards the Shack.

“What did you talk about?” Mabel asked with equal amounts of worry, curiosity and eagerness.

“Preston asked me to stop seeing Pacifica and he would give dad a job in return.” Dipper lowered his gaze. “He also said it would be choosing the lesser evil since we’re leaving when the summer is over and I’m not seeing her again anyway.”

“And you believe him?” She hissed.

Dipper raised his gaze and saw, much to his surprise, how Mabel wasn’t smiling as she always did. The cheerful brunette was angry.

“That guy is a poophead.” Mabel continued. “And I don’t want dad to work for a poophead. Not even if he pays him millions.”

"Yeah.” Dipper smiled broadly at his sister. “I turned him down, but I can’t stop thinking about what he said. What will happen to Pacifica and I when we leave once the summer is over?"

“That’s not the question, silly.” Mabel snickered at the obvious mistake. “The question is: Do you love her?”

“Hm.” Dipper pondered about it for a second. “I think I do.”

“Then you’ll figure something out.” She cheered. “You’re smart, bro-bro! And love is the strongest of things.” Mabel said very seriously.

“Mabel,” Dipper said after a pause. “you said during the sleepover… that it could be destiny what linked us.”

“Uh-huh. That’s why I am so sure!” She chirped happily. “You of all people should know a thing or two about destiny. Remember that day in the Mystery Fair, and what happened with Waddles? I was fated to win Waddles, just like you were fated to give Wendy a black eye.” She giggled.

“Yes, but we managed to change that several times, remember?"

"No, no-no.” Mabel shook her head and smiled broadly. This was one of the few times where she was being smarter than her brother in a paranormal topic and she was rejoicing in the situation. “We _tried_ to change it several times, but in the end it happened what was destined to happen."

“Maybe you’re right.” Dipper smiled after a second. “I was fated to find the Journal, which made me the only person that could help Pacifica with the ghost. We also found that crystal with the dream about ourselves. Maybe… maybe we’re fated to be together after all. Maybe this will end well.”

“I’m sure it’ll end well.” Mabel cheered.

“Thanks, sis. I feel better now.” Dipper smiled. “And I have the perfect idea for a gift.” 

"I'm here to help bro-bro. And if destiny doesn't work, we can always ask Stan to give that poophead a wallop."

**:: ::**

* * *

**:: ::**

Back at the manor, Preston was having an argument with Pacifica.

“What did you think you were doing hugging that kid? What if someone had seen you?” Preston yelled in astonishment. “I thought we had settled this matter already.”

“No! You said I didn’t have any reasons to see them again, but I do have a reason now!”

“And what reason is that?” Preston folded his arms across his chest.

“Father,” Pacifica said firmly. “I’m in love with Dipper Pines.”

Preston kept a stern face for a second. Then, his lips began trembling and his eyebrow rose on his forehead.

“You… That boy is practically a peasant!” He blurted out. “Pacifica! You could get anybody, literally anybody, and you choose someone like him? He chases ghosts for a living, for goodness sake!”

“I don’t care!” She yelled back.

The Northwest patriarch paced in circles in the room with a hand on his chin. After a few minutes, he stopped in front of Pacifica.

“Fine. This is all my fault, since I wasn’t clear enough the last time, but I’ll be crystal clear now.” Preston looked sternly at his daughter. “Mark my words: You’re forbidden from seeing that boy again. If you disobey, I’m sending you to a boarding school overseas for the rest of the summer.”

“B-but… why!?” She yelled, her face completely flushed red in anger. “You just said I could get anybody I wanted, and I want him! I love him! You can’t do this to me, I’m your daughter!”

“Exactly. I’m your father and I know what is best for you. I’m choosing the lesser evil, Pacifica.” He sighed heavily. “When you are older you will understand this and you will thank me.”

“You can’t choose my friends.” She hissed. “You can’t choose who I fall in love with.”

"I just did." Preston replied plainly.

“You mark my words now: I am never forgiving you for this.” Pacifica kept the glare for a few more seconds and stormed off to her room.

Preston covered his face in his hands and sat into the armchair. He was exhausted.

**:: ::**

* * *

**:: ::**

[She had a final look at her closet and all her favorite dresses inside. She grabbed her favorite pillow without which she couldn’t sleep and hugged it. To conclude, she ran her hand along her desk. The heiress was saying goodbye to everything because she didn’t intend to come back.]

Pacifica slumped onto her bed, face down, and screamed into the mattress. Rage was palpable on her. She couldn’t stop thinking it was unfair. The heiress clenched her fists and teeth until it hurt. She was angry, but she preferred to be angry rather than to give in to despair. Despair would lead to tears, and a Northwest never cries.

After half an hour, Pacifica calmed herself enough to think properly. She grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, and began measuring her options. She soon reached two conclusions. The more she thought about them, the less she liked them, but they were the only way.

Pacifica crumpled up the piece of paper into a ball and tossed it into the paper bin. She then went into her closet and smiled faintly. The heiress liked each and every single dress there. She took her time to stroke their sleeves and appreciate their designs as she remembered the first time she wore each of them. She then moved to her four poster bed and rested her hands on the silky bed sheets. She liked those. Pacifica grabbed her memory foam pillow and hugged it. She couldn’t sleep with out. The heiress had one final look at the rest of her bedroom and sighed sadly.

She was saying goodbye to her most prized possessions because she was considering not coming back.

The heiress rubbed her eyes and considered her two conclusions. They were both evils, but she couldn’t bring herself to pick between two evils. She loved Dipper, but she also loved her current lifestyle. The heiress rubbed her eyes and decided that Dipper would have to choose the lesser evil for her.

**:: ::**

* * *

**:: ::**

**[Thursday]**

Dipper was adamant to get a gift for Pacifica. It wouldn’t solve the situation but he would like her to at least have something to remember him by. Dipper had pondered about what to gift her for hours and, in the end, he had decided on what he considered the perfect gift. To obtain it, however, he had to venture deep into one of the most dangerous parts of the forests, and that was the gnome territory. He eventually reached the clearing where the Journal said they hanged out, and there they were. The gnomes were playing cards using rocks as benches and tables.

When they saw him, Jeff was the first to react.

“Get him!”

“Wait, wait!” Dipper raised his hands as a calming gesture. “I’m here just to talk, but we can fight if you want.” He reached into his pocket and pulled a whistle.

Jeff hesitated at the sight of the noisy item, and commanded the gnomes into a halt.

“Fine. Talk, but stay there. Don’t get any closer with that… that thing!”

Dipper took a deep breath as he thought _‘Here goes nothing’_.

“I’ve come to do business.” His voice cracked and he cleared his throat to hide it.

“Business, huh? Shmebulock!” Jeff snapped his fingers. “My business outfit!”

Shmebulock came from the gnome crowd and put a tie around Jeff’s forehead like a bandana.

“Ah, I feel so much better already.” Jeff sighed in relief. “What did you want to talk about?”

Dipper decided not to make any comments about the fact that ties aren’t worn around the forehead.

“Do you gnomes know of metalworking?” The boy asked.

“Maybe.” Jeff folded his arms across his chest. “What makes you think we know of that?”

“Oh, uh… well,” Dipper was caught off-guard by the question. “In fairytales gnomes usually know of metalworking so I thought…”

“…that just because we’re gnomes we have to know that?” Jeff finished the sentence for him. “That’s specist, kid. Do all humans know how to cook?”

“So you don’t know anything about metalworking.” Dipper sighed in disappointment.

“I didn’t say that.” Jeff tossed his head to the side, his pride hurt. “What do you want to know?”

“Can you do jewelry?” Dipper asked doubtful. He had just realized how to handle the gnome. “What I need is veeeery hard. I don’t know if you’ll be up to it.”

“Jewelry?” Jeff scoffed. “Please, that’s a piece of cake. Even the dumbest of us knows how to do earrings, pendants, rings…”

“What about medallions?” Dipper asked excitedly.

“Those too.” Jeff replied after staring at the boy for a second with a sly smile.

“Can you make a silver medallion with this crystal?” He pulled out the dream crystal. “It’s for a girl so if you can shape it like a heart it would be great.”

“By a heart you mean a metaphorical heart or a human heart?” Jeff raised an eyebrow.

“Hum…” Dipper scratched his cheek at the obvious question. “Metaphorical heart.”

“Okay then. First off, we’ll reshape that crystal of yours into a small heart. Nobody would want to wear that boulder around the neck. Then we’ll put that heart into a silver figure to protect it.” Jeff explained, proud of his knowledge on the field of jewelry-making. “How will you pay us?”

“I…” Dipper facepalmed inwardly. He had never thought he would get this far. “I don’t have any money.”

“And I don’t have any use for it.” Jeff shrugged. “How many times have you seen a gnome in a store?”

“What do you want then?”

Jeff beckoned a few gnomes and they talked in whispers for a while. When they parted, Jeff took a step forward.

“We want… three pictures of your sister!” He announced, much to Dipper’s surprise.

“Like… normal pictures?” Dipper asked warily.

“Full body pictures. We need front, side and back.” He explained. “We’re going to build a thatch statue of her!”

“And then we’re going to burn it!” Another gnome exclaimed excitedly.

“Yeah!” All gnomes cheered at unison.

“That should get her attention.” Jeff was proud at his plan.

“Ooookay.” Dipper scratched his cheek as he wondered whether dealing with the gnomes was a good idea. “Three pictures then?”

“Yeah, leave us the crystal and—“ Jeff was saying when a deer approached and bleated. “Yes, Steve. I know what time it is.” The deer bleated louder. “Look, I’ll play cards with you later. Give me a minute to finish this.” He pushed the deer away.

“So…” Dipper cleared his throat to catch the gnomes’ attention as he left the crystal on the ground. “This is the crystal. Don’t touch it with your hands, it’s magical.”

“Sure, don’t worry about that. We never touch anything.” Jeff waved one hand dismissively as he kept dealing with the deer with the other. “Nowadays you don’t know what kind of curse you can get by touching one of those things. You’ll have it ready in two days. Drop by here with the pictures and we’ll give you the medallion.”

“Wanna stay to play cards?” A rather friendly gnome asked excitedly and earned a glare from both Jeff and the deer.

“Uh… No, thanks.” Dipper thought he had had enough gnome weirdness for a day.

As Dipper walked back to the Shack he couldn’t help but smile. A medallion made of silver with a crystal core. Dipper thought the blue of the crystal would go great with her eyes, and the silver color would complement the blonde of her hair. He decided it was the perfect gift for Pacifica, and that took a weight off his chest. A weight that was soon replaced by a new one. Dipper had no idea how he was going to get three pictures of his sister. He was certain Mabel wouldn’t like the idea of the gnomes having pictures of her.


	5. Deepening

**[Friday]**

"Dipper and Pacifica K-I-S-S-I-N-G under a tree!" Mabel sang happily as she poked Dipper. "C'mon, bro-bro! Cheer up! You got a date!"

"For the third time, Mabel." Dipper rolled his eyes. "It's not a date. We're just hanging out in town."

"That sounds like a date to me!" Mabel chirped.

Dipper groaned and was about to tell Mabel why it wasn't a date when an idea came to his mind.

"So when you and I go to town, we're on a date too?" He smiled slyly.

"No, silly." She giggled. "We're siblings!"

"Uh-huh." He hadn't achieved the desired effect. "Can you pass me my wallet? It's over there."

"Where are you two lovebirds going?" Mabel asked as she grabbed and handed the wallet to Dipper.

"I'm pretty sure Pacifica has never been to the Greasy’s Diner before, so I'm going to show her the place and invite her for lunch."

"You're inviting her for lunch?" Mabel stared agape at her brother. "That's _so_ a date."

"It's not a—" Dipper sighed and facepalmed. "Look, if it were a date I would take her somewhere fancier." He had a look into his wallet. "And she would probably have to pay if that were the case."

Dipper grew silent. The allowance their stingy Grunkle gave them barely covered a meal in the Greasy’s Diner, let alone in a classy restaurant.

"I'm sure she'll like the place." Mabel threw an arm over Dipper's shoulders to cheer him up.

"I hope so." Dipper added half-heartedly. "We'll have to talk about her parents."

"Don't worry, Dipper. You'll figure it out. You're smart."

**:: ::**

* * *

**:: ::**

Dipper drove the golf cart uphill towards the Northwest manor. After Mabel had insisted for over half an hour, he had agreed on trying a fancier hairstyle for his 'date'. Dipper was wearing his usual outfit but his hair was combed backwards under the cap, like the time he had to play Mr. Mystery. He wasn't very certain about the idea, but Mabel had reassured him several times that he looked more elegant that way. He saw Pacifica was waiting on the sidewalk outside the manor. She was dressed in the pink version of her trademark outfit and she was wearing diamond earrings.

“She got dressed for a date.” Dipper muttered and noted mentally to thank Mabel later for advising him about his appearance.

The golf cart was parked in front of the heiress and Dipper stepped out of it.

"Here's your carriage made out of a pumpkin, my lady." He joked to hide his nervousness. "Although I'm afraid I didn't have any mice to make the horses."

"It'll suffice." Pacifica giggled.

Dipper approached the heiress but he didn't know how to greet her. He raised his arms for a hug, changed his mind halfway through and hid his hands in his pockets as he displayed an awkward smile. The gesture however hadn't gone unnoticed by Pacifica, who closed the distance between them as she smiled warmly.

"You're so obvious, Dork." She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "I'm happy to see you too."

The boy was startled at first, but he soon grinned and hugged her back. Dipper smelled the mixture of her perfume and her lilacs shampoo. He moved a hand to her long blonde mane and stroked it down. A tingling followed Dipper's touch along her back and Pacifica sighed happily. She loved having her hair petted.

Pacifica parted the hug and stared at the golf cart.

"You picked the ugliest pumpkin you had, didn't you?" She teased.

"Yeah, huh..." He tittered. "I know it's not a limousine but at least I can drive it. We can park it in the forest if you don't want anybody to see us in it." Dipper reassured, knowing how Pacifica had to keep certain standards.

"Are you sure this is safe to drive?" Pacifica glanced suspiciously at the old golf cart.

"Of course. I use it on a daily basis. It's very easy to drive."

“Is it?" Pacifica's eyes sparkled excitedly. "Can I drive it to town?"

“Sure.” Dipper shrugged and gave her the keys. “Just try not to hit anybody.”

A few minutes later, Dipper was already regretting allowing Pacifica drive. The heiress stepped on the accelerator and yelled jubilantly as the golf cart sped downhill. Dipper immediately secured his seatbelt and held to his seat for life. He gave Pacifica a worried look and she replied with a smirk.

“Can you keep your eyes on the road?” Dipper reminded her.

“Relax, I’ve got it.” She commented happily.

The heiress stuck out her tongue in concentration as she enjoyed her first experience behind the wheel of a vehicle. Dipper on the other hand calmed after he realized they weren’t crashing on a tree or running over someone. He glanced at Pacifica once again and he was entranced. Her hair, full locks the color of hay with a golden sheen, was tousled by the air and acted as a blonde trail behind her head. The first thing that came to his mind was that she looked odd with her bangs out of her forehead. The second, and most important, was that he would feel very sad if they didn’t find a solution to their situation and he couldn’t see those blonde locks of hair again.

Pacifica caught through the corner of her eye Dipper’s absent expression and she gave him a warm small smile. Dipper shook his head and quickly reciprocated it. He decided they would worry about that later. At the moment, they were on a date.

**:: ::**

* * *

**:: ::**

They arrived at the Greasy Diner relatively quick due to Pacifica’s ignorance of the traffic lights. When she parked, Dipper got off the golf cart a little dizzy.

"Do I really drive that bad?" Pacifica asked seeing the boy.

"No,” Dipper lied. “but I’m driving on the way back."

"We got here in one piece, didn't we?" She countered proudly. "What’s this place, anyway?"

"A diner. People come here to have lunch."

Pacifica glanced at the log-shaped building for a while with a confused expression on her face.

“So… this is some kind of restaurant for poor people?” She asked doubtfully.

“Yeah, I guess you can call it like that.” Dipper shrugged. “C’mon, let’s get inside.

The couple entered the building and sat in a table. Dipper ordered a cheeseburger and fries for two. Pacifica, after perusing the menu thoroughly, decided that she had no idea about any meal listed there so she ordered another cheeseburger for herself. Meanwhile Lazy Susan got their food, Pacifica looked around herself in disgust. She had expected something different of the diner. Some of the floor wood planks were broken, the dirty dishes on the dinner could be seen from the client area, and she could swear she had seen rodents running under the table.

“So…” Dipper’s attempt to begin a conversation snapped her out of her thoughts. “About your father—“

“Can we talk about that later?” Pacifica interrupted him sharply.

“Alright.” Dipper fiddled with his fingers as he brainstormed for another topic. “Is it your first time in a place like this?”

“Gosh, yes.” Pacifica took a few napkins from the napkin holder and cleaned her side of the table before resting her hands on it. “What do you see in this place?”

"You'll see." Dipper smiled slyly as he took off his cap and put it on the table.

When Pacifica realized Dipper’s new hairstyle, she raised a hand to hide her snickering.

“What?” Dipper asked, offended.

“You got a cow to do your hair this morning, Dork?” She burst into giggles.

“Yeah, yeah. Laugh all you want.” Dipper grabbed his cap and put it back on his head. “Mabel said I looked more elegant.”

"And you do." Pacifica reassured. "But also funny."

Lady Susan came with the two burgers and the fries.

"There you go, kids. Here’s also the ketchup and the salt." She placed the dishes and bottles on the table and left the couple alone.

Pacifica gawked at her cheeseburger. She quickly grabbed the menu and glanced from the picture to her dish and back repeatedly.

“Dipper, that old lady is trying to scam us.” She pointed at her cheeseburger. “This… thing doesn’t look anything like the one in the picture.”

Dipper raised an eyebrow at her and chortled when he realized she was serious.

“It’s true!” Pacifica protested. “Look at the picture in the menu! The thing on my plate looks like it’s suffering and about to die by comparison!” She poked her meal with a finger as if expecting it to jump at her neck.

Dipper only laughed harder until Pacifica changed her demeanor and threw him a blue-eyed glare which made him stop immediately.

“Sorry.” He cleared his throat. “Your face was priceless.”

Pacifica took that as a compliment and she softened her features.

“Burgers are all like this.” Dipper explained as he grabbed his. “They look awful, but none of that matters once you give it a bite.”

“Bite this?” Pacifica glanced in disgust at her burger. “It looks like it could bite me instead! Besides, this is like… sixty percent grease. Isn’t this bad for your health?”

“C’mon, give it a try. Look, I’m eating mine.” Dipper took a mouthful of his cheeseburger to prove his point. “See? I’m not dead yet.”

Pacifica frowned at her meal and sighed in defeat.

“If this kills me, I’m haunting you and no silver mirror will save you.”

The heiress grabbed the burger with her fingertips. Grease quickly began rolling down her fingers and onto her hands, and she made an ‘Ew’ sound. Pacifica reluctantly mimicked Dipper and took a mouthful of her burger. Grease mixed with melted cheese and grilled meat reached her taste bugs and caused an explosion of flavor in her mouth.

“Oh my gosh…” Pacifica’s eyes bulged out and she gave a throaty moan of delight. She looked at her burger in astonishment as if she couldn’t believe what she had in her hands.

“How is it?” Dipper asked.

“Dipper, this is amazing!” She gave it another bite and part of the meat fell onto her plate with a splash of how greasy it was. “And super gross too, but above all it’s delicious! I need the recipe for my butlers.” Pacifica quickly finished her burger and began sucking her fingers clean.

“I told you.” Dipper chuckled. “Next time you should probably chew it slower to make it last longer, though.”

Dipper ate his own burger and grabbed the plate with French fries. He poured some ketchup and dipped a fry in it.

“Check this out.” Dipper held out the French fry with ketchup.

Pacifica was about to grab the fry, but her hands were all greasy. The heiress shrugged, leaned on the table and ate the fry directly from Dipper’s fingers.

Dipper cleared his throat and blushed.

“What?” Pacifica had seen the blush.

“Nothing.” Dipper replied quickly. Her lips had brushed his fingers and Dipper had found it extremely erotic. He crossed his legs and hoped that nobody noticed.

“The fries aren’t bad at all, but I liked the burger more.” She looked around in search of Lazy Susan. “Let’s order another one.”

“Hum…” Dipper checked the contents of his wallet and frowned. He sighed and his voice came out in a mutter. “I can’t pay for another round.”

“I’m paying then.” Pacifica shrugged.

“But I wanted to invite you for lunch.” Dipper mumbled, embarrassed at his economic situation.

“Why? Because it’s the proper thing to do?” She raised an eyebrow.

Dipper hesitated for a second and then nodded.

“Look, Dork.” Pacifica smiled warmly at his gesture. “If we had to follow stereotypes, you and I wouldn’t be dating to begin with.”

“We’re dating.” Dipper finally admitted it to himself.

“Yeah, we are.” Pacifica leaned closer and whispered. “If it’s so important for you to invite me, how about this: You invite me to this round and I pay the next one. That way you can still say you technically invited me on our first date.”

“I’d like that.” Dipper grinned. “You’re the best, you know that?”

“Yup.”

The couple got their second round which they ate more calmly. Having realized that this was a date, and that it wasn’t going bad at all, Dipper loosened up and engaged conversation while Pacifica ate and listened.

"…and after we sneaked in, we saw Thompson through the camera feed drinking popcorn butter!" Dipper finished the story.

Pacifica burst into giggles.

"That's like… a hundred times grosser than these burgers!" She grabbed a napkin to clean the grease off her hands.

"The thing is that I was just kidding when I wrote that in the screen, but it turned to be true." Dipper smiled.

Both of them had a full belly and a smile of satisfaction on their faces. Pacifica sighed happily and stared into Dipper’s hazel eyes. They were sometimes light brown and sometimes dark green depending of the light, but she liked them. The heiress felt closer to Dipper now and she expressed it by placing her hand on top of his on the table. Dipper’s eyes widened and he quickly retrieved his hand. Pacifica’s expression went from happy to worry.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“Sorry, I…” Dipper glanced nervously at her hand. “I didn’t see that coming. You caught me off-guard.”

“What were you expecting then?” Pacifica raised her eyebrows in disbelief. “This is a date. Of course we were going to hold hands eventually.”

Instead of answering, Dipper lowered his gaze in embarrassment. He hadn’t thought of this as a date to make progress in their relationship, but rather of an occasion to know her better and see if they could go on a date on a different day. Dipper still didn’t know if they were compatible at all.

"Ugh, Dork." Pacifica scoffed as she switched seats and sat beside Dipper. “What’s bothering you, Dipper? You never reacted like this before when we had some physical contact before. I have a picture as proof.” She added matter-of-factly.

“You what?” Dipper narrowed his eyes. “You said you would get rid of that picture.”

“Don’t change topics!” She blurted out as she blushed at her slip. “Answer my question!”

Dipper hesitated for a few seconds, and then he inhaled deeply and gave in.

“It’s not you, it’s me.” He regretted immediately his poor choice of words as he saw Pacifica’s face contort in horror. “No, no, no! I didn’t mean that! The thing is that… we’ve really known each other for five days. I know almost nothing of you.”

“So this has nothing to do with my father?”

Dipper shook his head.

“Oh.” The heiress sighed in complete relief. “Well, let’s talk then. What did you want to know?” She nudged him playfully to cheer him up.

“Just the basics, like for example...” Dipper thought for a second. “I’m Dipper and I’m twelve. I like mysteries and when I’m older I’d like to have my own ghost hunting show.”

“Really? A ghost hunting show?” Pacifica giggled and earned a glare from the boy. “Alright, alright, I’m not judging. But I’m better at ghost hunting than you. Let’s see… I’m Pacifica Northwest, I’m also twelve… I like mini-golf, singing, jogging, and hanging out with a Dork.” She teased and Dipper grinned. “I’d like to be a fashion designer when I’m older. I am also very rich.”

“Jogging?” Dipper looked at her in surprise.

“Yeah. You thought I had these by miracle?” She rocked her legs back and forth in her seat.

Dipper stared at her legs and blushed. Pacifica was wearing her close fitting legging which left nothing to the imagination.

“They’re…” He cleared his throat. “…very beautiful.”

“My turn to ask a question.” Pacifica snapped Dipper out of his daydreaming. “What’s between you and Wendy?”

Dipper gulped reflexively as he thought _‘She knows!’_

“I huh… She’s a… friend.” Dipper stammered.

“Yeah, and I’m a time traveler.” Pacifica cut him off sarcastically.

"But it's true! She rejected me and we are friends now!" Dipper tried to explain himself.

"Then why didn't you kiss me that night in the forest?" Pacifica countered.

“That’s two questions.” Dipper attempted to avoid answering.

"I need to know!" Pacifica demanded.

“I didn’t kiss you because… I needed to be sure of it.” Dipper sighed. “I’ve already had my heart broken once this summer and I don’t want that to happen again.” Dipper hesitated as he psyched up for what he was about to say. “I need to know where this is going because I like you a lot.”

Pacifica’s anger was suddenly replaced with astonishment.

“So…” Dipper wasn’t getting an answer. “Do you… like me?”

Pacifica’s features softened and gave him a warm smile.

“More than anything in I’ve ever had.”

Dipper interlaced his fingers with hers, grabbing her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. Pacifica grinned and proceeded to do what she had wanted to do earlier on the table. She released his fingers and grabbed his hand with both of hers. With her thumbs, she applied pressure and traced circles on the back of Dipper’s hand. The boy gawked stupidly, since he had never expected hand holding to arise so many pleasant sensations. Every time her thumbs pressed his hand, a soft jolt of pleasure traveled through his arm.

Pacifica released his hand and smirked at how silly Dipper’s face looked. She held out her hand and put on a smug look, waiting for him to return the caresses. Dipper smiled nervously and grabbed her hand. Instead of squeezing it like she had been doing, Dipper traced her fingers one by one from base to tip. Soft prickles soon invaded her hand, and Pacifica hummed appreciatively.

“Wait.” She stopped him.

Dipper glanced at her worriedly, wondering what he could have done wrong. Pacifica then took of her jacket and gave him her hand again.

“Go on.”

Dipper grinned and continued applying his caresses. Her short dress was short-sleeved and left most of her pale arm bare. Dipper paid some attention to the new exposed area by placing his fingertips on her wrist and tracing them lightly along the underside of her forearm up to her elbow. Pacifica stiffed back a soft moan at the ticklish feeling invading her arm. Dipper noticed and chuckled. He raised her hand to his mouth and landed a kiss on it. Pacifica smiled and blushed. Dipper then cupped her cheek, stroked it and moved in for the kiss.

“No.” Pacifica pressed her hand on his chest and sighed. “You need to know about my parents first.”

Dipper nodded. He held her hands and waited.

“My father will never allow this. In fact, he has given me an ultimatum.” She sighed sadly. “I even had to sneak out of the manor today using the service door.”

“What was the ultimatum?”

Pacifica lowered her gaze.

“If he sees us together again, he’s sending me to a boarding school overseas. England probably.”

“Oh no…” Dipper bit his bottom lip. He let go of her hands and picked up his Journal. “There has to be a way out of this somewhere…”

“Wait,” She rested her hand on top of the Journal. “I’ve already thought of it, and I only see two ways out, but I don’t know what to do. The first one would be running away from home.”

“No.” Dipper said immediately.

“Let me finish.” She turned serious. “I have some money saved. It’s more than enough to keep me fed until I am on working age.”

“Pacifica, I don’t—“

“I was thinking,” She interrupted him. “Stan was very nice to me, so maybe I could stay at the Shack? He said I could go there if I got in trouble.”

“Pacifica, really. That is a very stupid idea.” Dipper shook his head. “You would lose your current lifestyle, the life of riches you are so used to. It’s not something you can do overnight. Besides, I don’t think your dad is not going to search for you.”

“I’ll manage.” She supported her point. “I can use a nickname, dye my hair, whatever works. It would be choosing the lesser evil.”

“Not those words again…” Dipper muttered. “Look, no. Your father also offered me to choose the lesser evil, but I don’t believe in a lesser evil. Evil is evil; it doesn’t matter if it’s greater middling or lesser. If I had to choose between two evils, I prefer not to choose at all.”

Dipper broke eye contact and frowned. He was aware he might have just wasted his chance of being with her because of his moral code.

“I’m not gonna keep quiet while he sees me as a puppet.” Pacifica protested.

“I’m not telling you to do that. I’m telling you to stand up for what you consider right, just like you did in the Annual Fest.” Dipper looked back up to her blue eyes. “Running away from your parents isn’t the right thing. It will haunt you, and you’ll spend the rest of your life looking warily over your shoulder.”

Pacifica stayed silent and nodded. She knew he was right.

“You mentioned two ways out.” Dipper said. “What is the second one?”

“The magical wish.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “My last wish.”

“Hmm… Ford told us the wish only affected events governed by chance, like finding the house keys.” Dipper began tapping his chin thoughtfully. “Wishing for you father to change his mind wouldn’t work.”

“I had a different idea in mind.” Pacifica clarified. “What if I used it to gain some time? Maybe we would come up with an idea to solve this situation if we had more time.”

“In my experience with wishes and supernatural beings,” Dipper grimaced as he remembered Bill. “this can get very tricky. You could ask for a month and the wish could grant you thirty non-consecutive days. I don’t know about this.” He sighed. “It’s very unpredictable. Maybe we could keep pushing out luck and sneaking out to see each other?”

“What if we run out of luck?” Pacifica countered. “I don’t want to spend my summer vacations in a boarding school.”

“No, of course not.” Dipper shook his head. “The wish is it then. I’ll help you choose the correct words so that it’s properly formulated and—“

“This is something I need to figure out on my own.” Pacifica interrupted him. “Trust me, I know I can do it. Now, where were we?”

Dipper’s frown eased when she grabbed his hand. He liked the feeling. They stayed like that for a while, rejoicing in each other’s company and handholding without saying a single word. Words weren’t necessary. Eventually, they left the Greasy Diner, got into the golf cart and drove to the manor.

There was an awkward silence between the two of them when the time to say goodbye came. They didn’t want to say goodbye. Dipper rubbed his neck nervously. Pacifica smiled warmly and gave him a peck on the cheek. Dipper’s face lit up and he held the kissed spot on his hand.

“Whatever happens, I’ll call the Shack tomorrow.” She reassured.

Dipper nodded, and hugged her. He hugged her tightly and hoped he wouldn’t need to regret his decision of dissuading her from running away from home. They parted the embrace and smiled hopefully at each other. Pacifica then walked through the manor gate, and Dipper got back into the golf cart and drove away.

The heiress stood by the trees of the garden. She closed her eyes and wondered what to wish for. There were plenty of possibilities, a lot of things that could go wrong. Pacifica stayed silent for a few minutes, and then she formulated her wish. A gentle breeze played with her hair. She interpreted that as a sign of the wish working. Pacifica smiled and walked to the manor.

Her story had begun with a grain of truth, it had been tainted by the lesser evil, and it would end with her last wish. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story is not over. It continues in The Last Wish.


End file.
